Gold as the Crown
by Chloe Benson
Summary: Maven's regime has toppled and he is officially in the custody of the Scarlet Guard, but the Guard has a new enemy to fear, Samson Merdaus, who has named himself the new king. Seeking refuge at the Lerolan Estate in the South, Phoenix Legion and the Scarlett Guard count their dead and regroup. But with Hector's faction permanently destroyed, their numbers have dwindled to nothing.
1. Dramatis Persona

_Gold as the Crown_

Mare Barrow: Member of Phoenix Legion: _the little lightening girl_  
Shade Barrow: Scarlet Guard Member: _teleporter_  
Maven Calore: former king of Norta  
Tiberius (Cal) Calore: Leader of Phoenix Legion: _the traitor prince_  
Chelsea: Phoenix legion member: _illusionist_  
Arlen Conwyn: King of Monfort: _silencer_  
Farley: Scarlet Guard leader in Norta  
The Colonel: Leader of the Scarlet Guard in the Lakelands  
Hector **(deceased)** : former leader of The Rising Sun  
Samson Meradus: King of Norta: Flame of the North  
Maggie: Phoenix Legion member: _the whisperer_  
Evangeline Samos: Scarlet Guard member  
Ptolemus Samos: leader of Shadow Legion  
Torin: member of Phoenix Legion: _burner_  
Kilorn Warren: former Rising Sun member  
Julian Jacos: former Silver Royal: _singer_  
Sara Skonos: former Silver Royal: _skin healer_

 _Maven's regime has toppled and he is officially in the custody of the Scarlet Guard, but the Guard has a new enemy to fear, Samson Merdaus, who has named himself the new king._

 _Seeking refuge at the Lerolan Estate in the South, Phoenix Legion and the Scarlett Guard count their dead and regroup. But with Hector's faction permanently destroyed, their numbers have dwindled to nothing._

 _So the Scarlet Guard will execute its most daring plan ever: join with the Scarlet Guard in Lakelands, and take back the crown, or die trying. But even their allies in the Northeast may not be able to help. It may come down to the help of the mysterious king of Monfort, who offers his assistance at a steep price._

 _But nothing is as it seems, lies are becoming more enticing that the truth, and Mare and Cal are faced with another decision that could tear them apart forever._

 _Secrets and betrayals are mounting, and only one thing is certain in this New Dawn:_

 _All will burn._


	2. Prologue

_(/_ _ **Archeon: Whitefire Palace**_ _/)_

For a moment, Samson Merandus understood why his sister had been so adamant on killing the former King and his son in order to put her own on the throne. It was so much easier to sleep when you weren't worried about them kicking down your door in the middle of the night. Not that he was worried, no, he didn't worry about Tiberius, the pathetic love struck little fool like his father. The boy, who really wasn't a boy anymore, had fallen completely. Of course, there was the little bit about the antidote that Mare Barrow had managed to give to him. There was no guaranteeing that that would work though. Maven had never bothered to test it, then again, he had never tested the serum on a Silver. It had been fascinating to watch, and even more fascinating to observe Tiberius immediately after, lying in the dirt, so far gone that he hadn't been able to move.

The blood sample he had taken for observation purposes was being tested as he sat, waiting for his coronation ceremony. He smiled to himself, finally, the burning red and black of House Calore would be no more, and the blue and white of House Merandus would fly. His father would have been proud of him. At least, he hoped he would have. The head of the Merandus household had always preached the motto of strength and power, and his family's ability had only been able to perpetuate this. Of course, when he had been giving a weakly son, who was sick for almost his entire childhood, he had placed all his faith in a younger daughter, who was as ruthless as she was beautiful. At that moment, Samson had become resigned to become the strongest, and to best his sister. How fitting that the boy she despised should kill her, and her own brother usurp her son for a throne that she had always wanted.

The door opened, and his commander Aaron entered the room, dressed in his typical uniform, which had become the new Sentinel uniform under Samson. For a moment, Samson felt the stench of pride touch his nose, no doubt from Aaron who was more than pleased to be named as the head of Samson's guard. Still, Samson would not tolerate excessive hubris, such things had torn the Calore family down. He would not fall because of that.

"What do you have for me?" Samson demanded, as he turned back to his mirror and grabbed the dark blue robe that he would wear in his coronation. He'd had it designed to look like an exact replica of the bright red one that had been handed down from first born son to first born son of the Calores, in order to soothe the Silver Court that was obviously ruffled with having to crown the second king in two years. They had bought the lie that the Scarlet Guard could kill Maven at anytime, and for that reason, it was best to just have a King that was present and could be protected. He'd promised them that he would protect the kingdom, that he would remove the Scarlet Guard finally, and that he would punish Mare Barrow for what she had done. Of course he would have to think of something inexplicably inhumane, and the thought of doing something like that made his insides squirm with excitement. It was going to be fun opening up Mare Barrow's head and finding out what made her tick. He should have never let her escape the palace, but he had needed her to escape. He had needed her to go crawling back underneath her little rock, dragging her lover behind her, as well as the pathetic man who also loved her in how own twisted way. He needed her to rally the cause behind her, and then bring them out to fan the flames she had created. He had needed her to remove his nephew form the equation so that he would only have to deal with Tiberius making a claim to the throne.

Plan within plans, he mused as he slowly buckled the broach of his cloak, letting the dark blue pool over his shoulder and drop to the floor.

"Lord Samos is here to report." Aaron bowed out of the way, allowing Ptolemus Samos into the room. His iron colored eyes were a shade darker with his fury at letting Shade Barrow slip between his fingers again. The man he held responsible for his sister's fall from grace would pay, and Samson had assured him that he would.

"Very well, report Lord Samos." Samson stated with a bored expression as he slowly pushed his greying hair into place. Pre-mature greying caused by his stressful childhood, and odd trait that he shared with his opponent in the never ending chess game between himself and Mare Barrow. It had spread from his temple more recently and had started to dot the spots near his forehead, much to his slight disappointment. It did not bother him though, he had always thought that the odd coloring made him appear older, wiser, more regal. He was a wolf hiding in a younger man's body, and he smiled at that thought. Forty-five years was considered old for a newly crowned king, but Samson liked the change, just another reason that he would continue on in history. The man to wipe out the resistance, to stamp out the New Bloods, and the oldest to take the throne since Caesar Calore himself.

"We searched near the remains of the Jacos estate like you requested, but there was nothing there." Ptolemus stated simply as he put his arm across his chest and bowed in the customary greeting that Samson's guards gave.

"Interesting," Samson drawled as he pulled away from his reflection to ask, "And we have heard nothing from Peidmont?"

"No sir. The Piedmont court reported that no one had crossed the borders under any false names, nor did anyone bearing the resemblance to the traitors cross. They haven't left Norta yet sir." Ptolemus cited carefully, his eyes dropping now that Samson was looking at him head on.

Samson simply shrugged at the report, and then turned back to mutter to himself, "Curiouser, and curiouser. Where are you hiding Little Lightning Girl?" He seemed to dwell on this thought for a moment, trying to pick apart what little he knew about Mare Barrow. She was a selfish creature, that was for sure, he had seen that when she had wasted the antidote on her lover, instead of saving it for the people who might desperately need it; but she was cunning, Maven's secret files on her marked her as a prominent thief in the Stilts, although she refrained from being caught too often. The times that she had been caught though, were when she betted too high on her own skill, and lost spectacularly. Calore would keep her in check though, and make sure that she didn't act out too brashly. But Tiberus was in a state of disillusionment, and Samson knew that. Two years was a long time to fight in the squalor that he had never really understood. No doubt he was getting antsy waiting to hold the crown again, which would make him impulsive and rash. The two of them obviously shared a rather passionate relationship too, one that was bound to exploded in arguments often. Perhaps one time, they would push each other too far? Was that too much to hope for?

"What would like us to do, sir?" Ptolemus questioned, only to earn a chuckle from Samson who turned and stepped off the small platform he was standing on. The light from the window behind him cut across his eye, turning them into sparkling icy pools as he whispered, "Patience, Ptolemus. Enjoy the coronation, because starting tomorrow, I'm going out with you. I promised the Court that I would take care of the rebellion, and I plan to do just that."

Ptolemus blinked uncomfortably, as Samson walked toward the door, passing both his guard and the young Lord. His eyes strayed toward a small bug crawling along the wall though, and with a wicked, feral smile, he growled, "Don't you worry, I will deal with them, all of them, until there is nothing but their ashes left."

Then as if to punctuate his words, he crushed the bug under his fist until there was nothing but a stain where it had once been.


	3. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

 _(/_ _ **Cal**_ _/)_

There's something about Death that is blissful, even though he's all encompassing, and governs every aspect of our lives up until he comes to get us. But I've seen more than enough of Death in the past two years, and at the moment, I wasn't sure if I could deal with any more.

It was still dark as I laid awake, looking out the broad window at the moon hanging like a ghostly orb above the horizon, shedding a pale luminescence on everything below it. It was strangely cool in the room for a summer night in the South, but there was no doubt in my mind that tomorrow would be as scorching as the previous.

Mare made a soft grunting sound in her sleep and pulled herself a little closer to me. In the middle of the night she had rolled to face me and had wrapped herself around me as if she could sense my dark mood even in her dreams. She'd wrapped one of her arms around my neck and the other was draped across my back, her fingertips brushing my shoulder blade every so often as she moved in her sleep, an hour later she had slipped her leg between mine and wrapped it around my own, as if she were anchoring herself. She was the deepest sleeper I had ever known, although Maggie was a very close second, but I had a feeling that if I so much as tried to get up, she would wake.

Sure enough, as I shifted slightly, Mare's eyes fluttered open and she murmured sleepily, "What, is it morning, are they here?"

She tried to untangle herself, unsuccessfully, and as she sat up and pushed her hair out of her eyes, she saw that it was still dark and we were alone. A slight breeze shifted the curtains into the room, and I saw her physically relax as she set her head in her hands and rested her forehead on her bent knees. She groaned as she rubbed her palms against her eyes and whispered, "We're under too much stress, we need a vacation."

I smiled softly, privately agreeing with her as she flopped backwards onto the pillows, her hair fanning around her head as she did so. Slowly, she pushed it out of her eyes as she rolled to face me again. I could see the faint glow of her honey colored skin, but in the moonlight she was as pale as me, and I could see the heavy bags and dark circles under her eyes from days of no sleep. Even though we had made it in one piece to the Lerolan estate in the South, it had taken more of a toll of everyone than we thought. Maggie hadn't left her room for days after we had arrived, and from what Mare told me, she had been buried under the pillow fort she had made in the guest room that she shared with Chelsea. She had to get up eventually though, but we had let her sleep for the a few days. She was a nine-year-old girl who had just fought in a battle with an ability that drained her like a leech, and she was allowed to sleep as much as she wanted. She was up and about now though, and had been wandering around the estate with my grandmother, who was more than happy to have a small child in her home.

"What's wrong, you've been like this for days." Mare's whisper was as gentle as her touch as she reached up and pushed a few strands of my hair off my forehead. She was always worrying now, a mother at nineteen it seemed, who had raised kids that were almost the same age as her with only my useless help. Being with her for almost two years hadn't satiated her either. She was a constant worrier, always terrified that I wasn't coming back, or that something would happen to one of us, and that the other would be stuck with a group of New Bloods that could hardly control themselves.

Sighing softly, I slipped my hand around her waist and pulled her close to me again, my hand sliding up her side to play with the strands of hair that were spilling over her shoulder. I had always been fascinated by the graying ends that now reached almost to the middle of her back. they were so different from the perfection I had grown up with, and they reminded me everyday of how much pressure she had survived under. Mare smiled sleepily under my touch, although I could see the question still in her eyes. Apparently on the verge of falling asleep again, she still wanted to know the truth. She shifted slightly though, tucking her hand under her head to get comfortable, and as she did, the fabric of her shirt slipped off her shoulder and revealed the thick, white scar from a year ago. Subconsciously, I reached out with my thumb and stroked the scar softly, remembering how close I had come to losing her forever.

Her eyes opened again on instinct and she reached up to set her hand on top of mine, her expression soft as she caressed the back of my hand with her thumb. Between the two of us, we had more than enough scars, physical and figurative. They were burned into our hearts, and seared into our skin, from when we had both been shoved into the fire. It had taken us longer than it should have to realize we needed each other to get out in one piece.

"You're going to have to talk to him eventually, you know. Locking him up in a room downstairs won't change that fact." Mare whispered carefully, her eyes choosing to avoid mine as she looked down at our intertwined fingers. My stomach turned at her comment, and I glanced away to look out at the moon as I whispered, "I know."

She sighed, it sounded so hollow and pained though, as she pressed herself against me and replied, "I'll go with you if you need me to, maybe if we put up a double front, he'll bow out quietly."

I don't reply, and as the silence stretched beyond minutes, I heard Mare fall asleep again, her breath warm on my collarbone as she exhaled softly. She didn't move anymore, didn't so much as shift in her dreams, and I knew that she was barely dozing. She would sleep like that on the bad nights, when she knew I couldn't sleep either, and she would wait for my nightmares to come so that she could wake me and then sit with me, sharing in the pain and soothing whatever wound had been opened again.

It wasn't exactly like that anymore though. We had healed each other finally, but the scars remained and the memories would never truly fade from our thoughts. We could carry them with us to our deathbeds, but as long as she was there, I was certain that I could make it to that point. She was my rock, my oasis in the desert, and she would always be the one to stay, when everyone else had left. I would always choose her, even if the crown were in my hands, I would drop it and chose her. I would abandon a kingdom and a throne if it meant that I could hold her in my arms for the rest of my life. I wondered if she knew that though, if she knew that she meant more than a crown, a kingdom even.

Slowly, I lowered my head to the pillow, letting my hand trail down to the skin on her arm, where I slowly traced patterns. She didn't so much as stir, even when I leaned close and whispered into her hair, "I will always choose you, always."

A few hours later, I decided that I couldn't sleep. Mare had finally dropped off though, and was snoring softly into her pillow. I disentangled myself from her, and then slowly rose to grab my shirt and boots that were off to the side. I dressed quietly, by the light of the grey predawn morning, and after standing up again, I glanced back at Mare in the sheets. She had shifted onto her front and gathered the pillow into her arms. Her hair was spread in a mass of tangles around her, but she looked angelic in sleep.

For a moment, I almost undressed and climbed back in bed with her, if only to lie next to that kind of ethereal beauty and enjoy it while it lasted. I knew that the moment she woke up, this fleeting moment would be lost to the nether world it had come from, and she would go back to being a soldier, and not a young woman.

I turned away though, deciding that it would be better to let her rest in peace, and with a few quick steps I left the sleeping room and entered the small sitting room it was adjoined with. I ignored the spacious room, and tried to turn my thoughts toward the other side of the estate, where my younger brother had been kept for the past few months. He had yet to cause a real ruckus, but had caused a fuss on a few occasions. The moments had been dealt with though, and he had been allowed out once in awhile to enjoy the early summer sunshine. If anything though, he put a damper on it. He was in a sour mood almost all the time, which was completely understandable, although I wished he would at least be a little grateful that we hadn't thought to kill him yet. Farley had been speaking with our higher council members though, the ones that I had never spoken to, and they had ordered us to hold off from doing anything. Maven would be allowed to live for information reasons, and as a hostage. I doubted he would be worth much though, the Silver's weren't exactly clamoring to save him. At least, not after Samson had been crowned.

The snake had slithered his way onto the throne and was now in the position of power that his family had always wanted. In a way, we all should have seen it coming, from the moment that Samson had started inching his way closer to Maven. We had ignored it though, assuming that Maven would know a wolf in sheep's clothing when he saw one, and now we were paying the price for that assumption. Samson hadn't truly done anything radical yet though. He'd instituted a few new reforms, mostly just more restrictions on the Reds. He'd drafted a couple thousand more soldiers, and instituted a stricter curfew, but he hadn't executed anyone yet, or sent any troops to the front to die bloody deaths. For some reason, that was all more unsettling than if he had done the things we feared. We knew how to deal with a monster who struck predictably and without a hint of hesitation. Samson was holding back though, biding his time, which was making the higher ups a little uncomfortable.

The estate was silent, and the gray morning light barely lit the spacious hall that I paced down. My eyes were set on the door at the end, the one that Maven spent most of his time behind, even though he was allowed out to wander his corridor. Chelsea had done a spectacular job of instituting an illusion that made him believe he couldn't pass a barrier at the end of the hall. I wondered if he knew about it though and had tried to pass through.

I paused outside of the door, and reached to open it, only to pull my hand back like it had been burned. I had no idea how to talk to him. We hadn't spoken really since seeing each other again. Most of the time, he just glowered at me and sent immediate mental orders to stay away. I had to speak with him though, there was no doubt about that. Should I apologize for killing his mother a year ago though, or should I try to tell him that he had always had the wrong opinion of me? Either way, I had a feeling he would be bitterly miserable and end up raising his hackles to fight.

"Do you want me to go in with you?"

I glanced down the hallway to where the sprite-like voice that had spoken, and saw Maggie standing a few steps away, her hands loose at her sides and her head tilted to the side in curiosity. Her hair was a mess of curls that needed a brushing desperately, and her eyes were hollow with the demons she had come to know and play with. Her skin still had a pasty look to it from her earlier illness, and it looked as if she had had the life drained out of her. Behind her pale irises, I could see the haunting wisdom she had that seemed to pester her at every opportunity now. She looked a little plumper though, and no doubt it was because Anabel was doting over her, practically spoiling her.

I chuckled at the thought, and reaching a hand out to her, invited her toward me. She approached cautiously, before wrapping her arms around my middle and squeezing tightly. Her head came up to the top of my hips and I blanched as I realized this. She had gotten taller, but I was certain that the last time we had hugged she had barely come up to the middle of my thigh, had she really grown that much so soon, or had I just not noticed it?

Bending down, I wrapped my arms tightly around her and whispered into her hair, "I can handle this one Maggie, why don't you go find Mare and she can help you with your hair?"

She pulled away from me slowly and glancing up at me sadly she whispered, "I know you can do this, but Cal, I-I have to ask you something."

Maggie had a strange habit of having questions that no one could ever answer, and it had always pained me that I could never give her the answers she desired the most. It seemed sometimes though, that she knew more than I did, and often I had a feeling that she already knew the answers and just wanted to hear them from me and Mare. "Of course Maggie, anything." I whispered carefully as I crouched down so that we were eye level, but with the few inches she had grown, she now stood above me when I did that.

She looked away for a moment, as if she were pained, and then glancing back at me she whispered, "Lady Annabel told me that she knows a blood healer who can come and fix me so that I can see."

I hesitated from answering or questioning her, it sounded like this was going to be one of the times that I wouldn't have an answer for the child standing before me. Maggie's lack of sight had never bothered her, but as time had gone on and she had gotten older, I'd seen how frustrated she was over her lack of usefulness. Maybe this was a blessing she had been looking for, and I was sure being able to see would mean the world to her.

Her eyes were sad as she looked back to me and I set my hands on her arms softly and squeezed, hoping to calm her as I whispered hesitantly, "I'm so sorry Maggie, but I can't tell you what to do, it's up to you."

She looked pained for a moment, and her eyes welled up with tears as she choked, "But I'm scared, Cal! I've always seen through other people's eyes. I know Mare's pretty because when I look through your eyes, she's like the sun, and I know that the sky is pretty at sunset, because that's Torin's favorite time to look at it. What if...what if the world isn't as pretty when _I_ look at it?"

My chest constricted as tears finally leaked out of Maggie's eyes and began to run down her cheeks. Her panic made my heart ache and every fiber in my being screamed to subdue whatever was hurting her. This wasn't a time that I could though, what Maggie feared was something inside of her that only she could fight, and just like with Mare, I could only stand by her and try to guide her as best I could away from her own darkness.

Reaching up, I cupped her face gently and wiping her tears away with my thumbs, I looked her straight in the eye and stated, "Maggie, you are perhaps the most optimistic person I've ever met, and if anyone is bound to see the world as beautiful, it's you."

She smiled weakly and reaching up with her hands, she wiped away the last of her tears and whispered her thanks. I smiled as well, happy to see her less burdened, and rose to stand. I set my hand on her head softly and whispered once again, "Go find Mare, she'll take you to breakfast."

Nodding warmly, Maggie turned back the way she had come, and humming to herself, she started down the hallway at a slight skip. Always bipolar, Maggie swung from one extreme to the other, and she never surprised me when she did. Over the past two years I had learned to read her like a book, but there were still parts of her that I could never understand, parts that even she locked up because she didn't understand them herself.

Sighing, I turned to look back at the door that had been biting at the back of my mind since we had come to the Lerolorn estate. It had been locked for days, and it was located on the other side of the estate from everyone else, and it appeared that that was the best idea for the safety of its one occupant. My hand rested on the doorknob, my stomach in knots and my legs trembling slightly, the last time I had seen my brother had been with Mare's knife against his neck as she used him to get down to me in the cells. Taking another deep breath to settle myself, I threw the door open and stepped into the brightly lit room.

The curtains were pulled back to reveal the cream upholstery and warm blues that coated everything. Crystal glass was everywhere, refracting the light and sending rainbows across the walls. There was no sign that someone had occupied the space though.

The layout of the space was exactly the same as the rooms Mare and I had been occupying, with the small entertaining area, the double doors leading off to the bedroom, and another set of doors that led off to a small study. The only difference was the color schemes. My room with Mare was painted a pastel white, with gray colors mixed in reflecting almost a mountain like complexion. Mare had liked it, and had picked it while I was still struggling with the antidote in my system. I had woken in it in the middle of the night, crying out for her, and she had been there, sleeping in the chair off to the side so that she didn't disturb me. She'd been then in a second, her voice soothing as she took the wet cloth from the bowl on the nightstand and started wiping at the sweat on my forehead, and smiling she had assured me that my fever had finally broken. I'd noticed the walls only a second later and had relaxed, the cool colors almost soothing. After that she had told me what she had Julian had discovered about the serum and its antidote. The latter reversed the former, but it essentially sent the affected back to the very beginning of their ability, when it was first starting to develope inside of them, as the gene switched back on and tried to reset. I had essentially lived through the aggravating part of my childhood that all burners went through. The unnaturally high fever, was meant to boil my blood and prepare my body to handle the heat of the fire that would roll under my skin. I had my fire though, it had been returned to me, but the antidote that had done so was gone. It had been burned completely out of my system.

There was a slight noise in the bedroom, snapping me out of my thoughts, and I took a hesitant step toward the double doors that led into it. I pushed them opening slightly, and taking a deep breath, I called out, "Maven, I'm coming in."

There was silence and I took it as him accepting my arrival. Pushing open the doors completely, I slid inside, keeping my back to them. I may have loved my brother still, but I didn't trust him enough to put my back to him. Sure enough, as soon as I was fully in the room, a glass object hurled itself at me and I had to duck as the shards exploded against the door where my head had been a second ago. I glared at my brother, who was on the other side of the room, perched on the bed, an array of glass objects resting in front of him. As I took him in, he grabbed another one and made to throw it, his eyes like fire as he spit, "I don't want to see _you_."

He hurled it and I slipped to the side, a few of the shards still hit my arm though and I felt one of them cut through the thin sleeve of my shirt, drawing blood. Upon seeing it, Maven sneered and hissed, "Look at that, I figured with all the time that you've spent in the gutter with them, that your blood would be as red and nasty as theirs."

My lips drew into a tight line, and I whispered, "Put the glass down, I just want to talk with you."

He let out a barking laugh and replied, "Well, I suppose were at a impasse then, because I don't want to talk to you."

"They're going to execute you." I stated simply, hoping that hearing that would be enough to phase him. Sure enough, he hesitated from throwing a third object, his hand shaking as he hissed, "You're bluffing. If you had planned on killing me, you and your little band of terrorists would have killed me already."

Shaking my head, I held my hands up to show him my palms, and replied gently, like I was coaxing a frightened animal, and even though it pained me to try and be kind to him, I whispered "I'm not lying Maven, Farley wants you dead, but I-I won't let that happen."

He sneered at me, but his hand dropped and loosened around the glass bowl he had been about to hurl at my head once more. "I bet you don't want them to kill me, you want to be the one to do it, or Mare," he paused and then with a malicious grin he whispered, "She doesn't know, does she? That you won't let them kill me?"

I straightened slowly and glanced away to whisper, "Mare knows that I won't let them hurt you, that doesn't mean she agrees with me though." It was true, she'd blanched when I had stated that I didn't want Maven to die, but she had eventually grumbled her understanding. After that she had insisted that I talk to him, and find a way to make an excuse for his actions. With the way my conversation with home as going though, I had a feeling I wouldn't have may options.

"Aw, your first spat with her, hopefully you two can stay together after it." Maven sneered as he let out another barking laugh and slumped against the headboard. I glared at him and then said, "We've had plenty of arguments, and we have gotten through them."

For better or worse, I thought hesitantly. We certainly had had our moments where sparks flew, and definitely not in the way that we would have wanted. We had pulled ourselves together though, maybe not as responsible adults, but we had pulled ourselves together nonetheless.

Mare merely huffed and then crossing his arms like a child he grumbled, "Of course you two have. Figures that she would rather stay with you after all that."

I clenched my fist tightly. He was completely insufferable. I figured that I would be able to at least have a conversation with him, but his head was in the wrong place now, and it was probably going to stay there. No amount of pleading for him to give me a noble reason for his actions was going to do anything. Maven had done what he had done, and there was no denying it was because of probably malicious and selfish reasoning. Reasoning that involved the girl we both loved, in our own ways, and brotherly jealousy.

"I can't help you, if you don't help me, Maven." I growled warningly, trying to inform him subtlety that he needed to do this, that he needed to give me a reason to save his skin. His icy irises snapped to me and with a growl of his own he spit, "I don't want your help, I want you to die in a hole so that I never have to see you again."

Even though his words picked at my heart, they had less of an affect than I anticipated. Maybe I really was becoming as callous as I feared. If I didn't even flinch at the fact that my own brother wanted me dead, what was happening to me? Had I just grown used to that idea, that he wanted me to be gone from this world, or was I becoming as cold and unfeeling as every other person I had once known. Was I becoming the man my father had been? Cold and unfeeling, sending children off to war to die bloody deaths while I tried not to think about the agony that had taken root inside of me? Is that what we fundamentally did as humans? Become hardened as time wore on, until we were nothing but seasoned soldiers that simply braved the next storm?

Seeing that the conversation was going nowhere, and that I would probably have to come up with some lie to keep the higher ups from killing him simply to send a message. Maybe that proved I wasn't becoming a monster. If I wanted to save one though, did that make me one?

(/)

A few hours later, we had decided that it was too nice of a day for everyone to stay inside. So we had gone outside, into the massive garden that Anabel had let grow on its own accord. Maggie had adored it the moment she had seen it, and she and Chelsea had spent hours in it, sometimes not coming in until sunset. It was on those days that I felt like there was no revolution, that there was no war, that we were simply just people who all knew each other, enjoying the joys that summer had to offer.

The sun was high above us now though, and although it should have been swelteringly hot, it was rather nice, with a comforting sea breeze blowing out from the water. Maggie was with Chelsea and Oscar, watching as the young nymph slowly pulled water from the fountain a little ways away and made swirling balls of it that refracted the light in hundreds of different directions. Anabel sat with them, clapping and all around being the doting woman that she was. She loved the Newbloods possibly more than me and Mare, and she was fascinated with them. Especially Maggie, who had the same corrupting ability as a Silver, but who appeared to be the sweetest child she had ever met. Julian sat next to her with Sara, the two of them enjoying the ability to actually be together without the glares that people normally would deliver their direction. At the moment, Shade had been on call with the Guard, speaking urgently with Farley about or upcoming relocation.

"No, absolutely not, I'm not getting on that thing." Mare argued next to me, her arms crossed as she glared at the horse before her. It let out a puff of air, and dragged its hoof through the dirt, as if it were arguing with her as well. I sighed and patting its side, I insisted, "It's really not that bad, look I'll help you up, and I'll be holding the reins the whole time."

She shook her head for the hundredth time, and took a hesitant step back, eyeing the creature warily. It turned its head towards her and huffed again. "I don't like animals, Cal, especially those that are a lot bigger than me."

I sighed impatiently once more and holding out on of my hand to her, I whispered, "I promise I won't let anything happen. Just trust me."

She looked at my hand hesitantly, before letting out a frustrated sigh and muttering, "You're too persistent."

With a smile though, she slipped her fingers into mine, and I brought her closer to the horse. It turned its huge black eyes on her and I set my hand on it shoulder, whispering, "Just let her smell you, she won't bite."

Mare frowned at me, but still held her hand out. It shook with trepidation as she horse blew another puff of air into her palm. She almost pulled away then, but I reached out and held her hand out there, letting the horse sniff her and then nudge her fingers in approval. Smiling, I glanced at her and teased, "See? She's well trained."

Mare glanced at me warily still but reached out with her hand to set it on the creators muzzle, her hand more steady as she cooed gently like I had been doing earlier. The horse seemed to shift and then brayed softy, her black eyes meeting Mare's slowly.

"She's ready for you to ride her," I whispered as I gestured to the saddle. Mare looked at it warily but nodded stiffly, and walked around to the side. Wrapping the reigns around my wrist, I instructed Mare on how to climb up into it. Her head badly came up to the top of the horse's side, and I watched as she stretched into her toes to grab the saddle horn and the back of the saddle. She heaved herself up, but missed the foot hold, and ended up dropping back to the ground, dejected. I laughed softly, before setting my hands on her hips and giving her a lift as she swung her leg over the saddle and settled in.

"Easy, right?" I inquired as I smiled up at her. She glared down at me, but behind her eyes I could see her smiling as she replied sarcastically, "Easy for you to _say_."

Off to the side, Julian glanced up from his book at the two of us, before sighing and turning the page of his volume. Maggie glanced up from where she was sitting at his feeting, listening to him read to her while weaving a crown of daisies, her pallor brighter now that she had spent a few days in the sun and eaten something. Sitting a little ways off, under one of the trees, Maven watched the whole spectacle with a cool sort of indifference. He had been let out of his room on my insistence for today, and everyone had agreed that as long as he didn't cause any problems, then it was fine that he was outside.

I glanced oven at him, and Mare followed my eyes to him, her expression clouded with worry as she whispered, "I think I'm ready to walk with this thing."

Shaking off my dark mood, I smiled up at her and pulled on the reins slightly, taking the horse with me at a slowly walk. Mare grabbed at the saddle horn immediately, her face paling as she let out a groan of discomfort. "Never mind, I-I change my mind, I want to get off."

"What are you talking about? You're doing amazing." I insisted as we started into a wide circle. She swallowed visibly, and then insisted loudly, "I mean it Cal, get me off this thing."

Everyone looked over at her upon hearing her terrified cry, and Oscar laughed from his position, and Chelsea laughed as well. Chelsea's eyes shone with mirth as she assured Mare and cover her mouth with her hand to hide her laughter, "Come on Mare, you look so princess-like up there though."

Maggie glanced over in Chelea's direction, her blind eyes curious as she tilted her head to the side and picked through people's minds to see what was going on, and then rushing to her feet she ran to me and held out the daisy crown to Mare.

"Put it on Mare, put it on!" She laughed as she held it out to me and taking it lightly, I held it out to Mare, who sighed and took a shaky hand off the saddle horn to grab the thing. She set it on her hair and then glancing down at Maggie inquired, "Are you happy now?"

Giggling, Maggie bounced up and down, and clapped her hands together before running back to everyone, shouting at them to look at Mare, even though they already were. Julian glanced up as Maggie shouted, "Just wait, when Cal gets be be king again, Mare's going to be Queen and then she'll wear a real crown!"

Mare glanced at Maggie then, her expression fearful as she clutched the saddle horn again, but I had a feeling it wasn't because of the horse anymore. That was not something we had talked about yet. We had both chosen to ignore the future, because it meant a very possible end to us.

"Nonsense, she can't be Queen. The High House would never allow it." Maven insisted, and Maggie flipped around in surprise to see him standing over her. She slipped behind Oscar, who glared up at him and spit, "What would you know? When we take Norta, everything's going to be different."

"Nothing changes that quickly water boy, and besides, Cal would have to marry a Silver girl from the High Houses to assure a successful blood line." Maven argued, making an extremely scary amount of sense. I set my hand on Mare's softly to reassure her, but when I glanced up at her, I saw how clouded her expression was, and how glassy her eyes looked.

She glanced away from me, when she noticed my expression, and whispered, "I want to get off."

Seeing as the mood was ruined, I reached my hands up to her and let her slide into my arms. As soon as her feet were on the ground, she pulled away from me and made her way back to the house, her hands hugging her elbows as she picked up her pace to a quick walk. Julian watched her go with a steady eye, but when he looked back at me, he looked almost as sad as I felt.

"Why did you do that! Mare was perfectly happy. You ruin everything!" Maggie screamed Maven, her eyes like ice as she picked up the skirts she was wearing and went to run after Mare. He looked like she had slapped him across the face, and for a moment I was glad that she had been the one to say it and not me.

"Maggie!" I screamed at her, and grabbed her arm before she could go anywhere. She struggled against me until I pulled her away from the house and insisted, "Mare needs to be alone Maggie, you know that."

She looked up at me with tearful eyes and whispered so that only I could hear, "You are going to marry Mare, right?"

I hesitated, and sighing I crouched down and whispered, "I don't know."

"But you want to, and when you're King you can do anything you want!" Maggie insisted, as a few tears spilled past. Squeezing her arms tightly, I whispered, "I wish it were that simple, but it isn't."

She looked more heartbroken than I felt, as if I had somehow shattered one of her dreams. "But you love her, and Mare loves you. And you said that no matter what you should marry the person you love," Maggie argued, her throat closing around the words as a few more tears slipped by.

Shaking my head lightly, I cursed myself for saying something like that. Maggie remembered every word that was ever said to her, and swallowing around my tight throat I insisted, "And _you_ should think that way, but I can't Maggie. Sometimes, I have to put my duty before my heart."

She looked horrified for a moment, and slipping her arms out of my grip she ran to Julian and choked, "No, tell him that can marry Mare!"

Julian looked baffled by Maggie's demand, but his face fell softly, and pulling her towards him, he stroked her hair softly and whispered something quietly to her. She glanced at me over her shoulder and I hung my head to avoid her gaze. My stomach turned as I thought about what I had said. I sounded no different from the first time I had come to the Guard, but I felt different. I wanted to have Mare, wanted to keep her with me for the rest of my life, but I knew that I couldn't. I supposed in reality, nothing had changed from three years ago.

(/)

I found Mare on the balcony of our room a few hours later. Her hair was loose from its braid and was swaying slightly in the breeze. Her back was to me, and for a moment, I wished that she would turn around and look at me.

I paused in the doorway, and whispered to her back, "Farley wants to see us."

She didn't so much as shift, and for a moment, I was worried she hadn't heard me. A few seconds later though she glanced at me over her shoulder and whispered, "Come sit with me for a second."

Slowly, I stepped onto the balcony and sank down next to her on the bench. She watched my face, before she hesitantly reached out and cupped my jaw softly, her thumb running along my cheek as she whispered, "You haven't shaved in a while," she seemed to hesitate for a second before continuing, "You look like your father."

I blinked in surprise and sighing, I set my hand on hers and whispered, "I hate it when you run and hide from me." Hopefully she hadn't noticed my avoidance, but knowing her, she had, and she had catalogued it away for later. It was strange that I knew her so intimately now, stranger still that she knew me just as well, and had never mentioned anything about it.

She looked away after seeing my searching expression, and pulled her hand away to set it in her lap. My skin felt cold where her hand had been, and before she could pull away, I took her hand in mine again and whispered, "Please don't think that I don't love you because I didn't say anything about marrying you out there."

She sighed heavily and scooted closer to me, until her head was resting on my shoulder and her body was pressed up against mine. "I don't want to talk about that, just...just hold me for now, that's all I need."

Wrapping my arm around her shoulders, I pressed my lips to her hairline and whispered, "We can't hide from it forever." I felt her tense against me at my words and I wanted to take them back immediately, but she wouldn't let me.

"I know, it's just... after all this time, I've forgotten that the man I love is supposed to be wearing a crown." Her words were heavy, and I felt a hot drop of water land on my shoulder. Before I could try and reply, she continued, "That's the problem I guess. I fell in love with the man and not the crown."

I gripped her shoulder tighter and whispered to her again, "That's what I've always wanted to hear someone say, you know that. For my whole life, I knew that when I got married, it would be because she was the highest in standing according to my father and Elara, and I had accepted it," I hesitated for a moment, and then continued, "Then I met you, and everything changed."

She snorted and murmured, "Things definitely changed alright."

Smiling, I pressed another kiss to her hairline, happy that she was coming out of her morose mood finally. "My whole life changed, and I'm thankful for it."

She glanced up at me and with a frown she inquired dubiously, "Thankful?"

"More than thankful, I think," I replied as I smiled down at her, and got her to give me a warm smile as well. For a moment there was silence and I reached out slowly to run my thumb along the edge of her lower lip, feeling the soft skin there, before slowly dipping my head to press my lips against her own. She returned the affection, and then pulled away slowly to rest her forehead against my own, her eyelids fluttering softly as my breath brushed against her lashes. She went to speak again, only to hear a knock on the door and pull away in surprise to glance over her shoulder. I stood up and followed her eyes as the door opened and Shade stepped in. He looked sheet white, and like someone had just tried to shoot him, only to just narrowly miss. I had never seen him look so horrified, and his appearance sent a shiver of foreboding down my spine.

Mare leaped to her feet and ran to her brother, taking his hand and asking earnestly, "What is it? Is it the Guard? Did something happen?"

Shaking his head slowly, Shade slowly sank onto the couch, his eyes distant and glazed as he slowly reached up and pushed his hair away from his forehead before resting his head in his hands. For a moment he looked as if the weight of the world rested on his shoulders, and something about that was soul crushing. If anyone was willing to shoulder the fate of the world if was Shade, although he was much too young to have to bear the burden on his own. We were all too young to bear this burden that we had been saddled with, but nonetheless we had no choice. That seemed to be a common theme that perpetual continued to show up.

"Shade!" Mare shrieked as she shook his shoulder, physically demanding the answer from him. Seeing that he wasn't going to answer, even though she was demanding it, I grabbed her wrist. Shaking my head in a silent order to stop, I crouched down in front of him. Mare opened her mouth to argue with me, but the glare I sent her, got her to shut her mouth. By now, she had learned that when I gave her that look it was for a very important reason.

Shade, by this point, was muttering to himself, obviously cursing something or another. Setting my hand on his shoulder, I whispered, "Shade, you need to tell us what's going on. Did something happen?"

He shook his head, letting out a bitter laugh, as he he replied, "The Guard's safe, it's me, I screwed up."

Mare raised her brow, in speculation, only to cross her arms and hiss, "That's hardly grounds to come in here acting like this, you screw up all the time."

His neck practically broke as he snapped his head up to glare at her, his features like icy as he spit, "Not like this."

Sighing, I stood up as well, and tucked my hands in the pockets of my pants. I doubted Shade had done anything too serious, and that at the moment he was being the exaggerating person he could sometimes be. Sure he had messed things up before, given a rookie a bad assignment, sent a message to the wrong person, and a number of other things that were easily fixable. He honestly wasn't the person to really screw up so badly that he thought the world was going to end. So with a smile I shrugged and then said, "I'm sure it's not the end of the world Shade. It's probably fixable."

Next to me, Mare smiled knowingly as well, probably assuming the same thing I did. If there was anyone who knew their sibling, it was Mare. She and Shade were closer than any two siblings I had seen before, not that I had much to go off of given my current situation. The two of them knew the ins and outs of each other though, and without a doubt, Mare probably knew that Shade was exaggerating the situation.

"It's not that it's the end of this world," He began softly, before glancing up at the two of us, with a pained expression, "It's the end of mine, mom and dad are going to kill me, Mare."

"For what? For being out too late on curfew night?" Mare teased as she nudged him with her hip. Shade pushed her away and then groaned and set his head back in his hands. I frowned at his reaction then, and asked, "Shade if something's wrong, it's okay to say something about-"

"Evangeline's pregnant." He blurted out, and in that moment, as he uttered those words, it seemed like his world really had ended. He looked positively shocked at the fact that he even had to say those words. Mare blanched for a moment, her eyes wide and her mouth open. For a moment, there was silence, until Mare broke out laughing and said, "Good one Shade, you really had me going for a second there." She turned to leave the room and go back out on the balcony, laughing the whole time, only to hear her brother growl, "It's not a joke, I just got off the radio with her. Three medics on Tuck confirmed the results. She's pregnant, and I'm the father."

Mare slowly stopped laughing, until her face was almost as pale as her brother's and the two of them shared the same surprised look in their eyes. It was almost uncanny how similar they looked in that moment, but just like them, I was too busy marveling at the turn of fate that had just thrown us all into a much darker loop than we had originally been in.

"But… but she's barren. She said so herself!" Mare cried as she glanced at me in surprise. I could only shrug in surprise myself though, my eyes wide and my own mind in turmoil. Evangeline had told all of us that she was barren, that Elara's chief blood healer had told her… Elara. That little piece suddenly made everything make sense. That stupid woman was haunting us from beyond the grave in her stupid way, and that was infuriating. She deserved to be removed from existence entirely, but she had sunk her claws deeper into this world than anyone could have believed. She had reached from beyond the grave to pull one last string and control someone's life. Evangeline had believed every word she'd ever said too, because what had ever told her anything different? Elara had been nothing but trustworthy in the eyes of the court, if not a little secretive. As far as Evangeline was concerned, why would Elara lie about something like that, especially if Evangeline was supposed to carry the heir? Even I didn't begin to understand that fact, even though I had been the one to realize it. It didn't add up at all. What benefit could possibly come from preventing Evangeline from having a child? It would have been considered more of a detriment than anything.

Shade glanced up at the two of us again, his eyes somber now, as if telling us had resigned him, as if he had finally come to accept the fact. He sat up a little straighter on the couch, and then looking up at us, he said, "I need to speak with Julian, he would know what to do about this right?"

I could only shrug again and run my fingers through my hair before saying, "I hope so, Shade, I don't think something like this has ever happened before."

He stood up then, and straightening his shoulders, he glanced at me carefully and said, "That's what I need to speak with him. I need him to come with us when we rendezvous with Farley."

Mare glanced at me and then at her brother in shock, until she slowly frowned and said, "Tell me Evangeline is not coming with us."

"I don't think anyone is going to be able to stop her," Shade said with smile, the first real one I had seen from him in months, "According to Farley, she's running on some very high hormone levels, and has made it very clear that she's going with us to the Lakelands whether anyone likes it or not."

Mare's lips puckered at the thought, and then she grumbled, "Tell me she is going to at least have it under control, I don't want her to shove a knife in my ribs because I asked if she was hungry or not."

Shade simply grimaced at the image, and then glancing at me, he said, "I doubt she'll go for you first. I am the one who got her pregnant."

Laughing, I set my hand on his shoulder, not sure whether to congratulate him on his luck or stand in shock with him at the cards he had been dealt. I had a feeling that things had just changed dramatically for us though. Mare seemed to reach the same conclusion because she glanced at me fearfully. There was no telling what would happen with this pregnancy, what would happen to Evangeline, or even what would happen to the baby. There were very few records on children born to Reds and Silvers, and this would probably be the first record of such an occurrence between and Newblood and Silver. There was no telling what was going to happen, and somehow that was the most terrifying part of everything. I glanced at Mare then, if all went well, did that mean it was a fluke thing, or that Silver and Newbloods could have children? Did that mean that in the future, if there ever was one for me and Mare, that there was a possibility of something like that? Mare had never made any comment that she wanted children, always citing the Maggie and the other Newbloods were more than enough for her lifetime. Not to mention the unspoken words between us that something horrible could happen to the baby because of the vast differences in out blood. But if Evangeline could carry a baby to term, didn't that bode well for us?

Mare, who had been speaking with her brother in low soft tones, glanced up at me then, and for a moment I thought I saw the same question in her own eyes.

 _ **A/N**_

 _ **Hello everyone! Welcome back to the world of Red as the Dawn, and as you can see, there is already hella drama in the world. For those of you who guessed, what was up with Evangeline well done you little readers, well done. So we'll be getting action soon, don't you worry my favorites. And that's all I have for you guys!**_

 _ **Also, Evelyn Turner if you're reading this, I am dead because of you and your endings. Thanks for the heartbreak though gorgeous. XD**_

 _ **QUESTION TIME!**_

 _ **What did you think of what happened in the end? Any thoughts? Maybe you have some thoughts about what's going on with Mare and Cal?**_


	4. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

 _(/_ _ **Shade**_ _/)_

"Well there has to be some record of something, anything." I argued as I paced along the rows and rows of books in the Lerolorn estate library. Julian Jacos, who had remained seated during the entire hour long conversation simply sighed again and replied, "There would not be any records of any such occurrence. A Red and Silver having a child is considered an unspeakable social offence. You know that it would mark a Red woman a blood traitor, and it would exile a Silver man completely if they had the child out of mutual understanding. And I'm sure it works the other way around as well. No one would want to tell the truth if those were the punishments."

I grabbed a book off the shelf and tossed it into my makeshift pile, not even bothering to look in the index's anymore for the topic I was searching for. As far as I was concerned this was a futile exercise to try and ease my frazzled mind. Evangeline getting pregnant had never been a thought in my mind, let alone one in her own. We'd never done anything to prevent that from happening, because we had just assumed her body had done it for us. Now we were paying the price for such a mistake, and I wasn't sure what the cost would be.

At the table on the other side from me, Mare was flipping through some of my pile with Cal. The two of them were pressed together at the shoulder while they looked through two separate books. Honestly they looked like two little lovebirds perched on a tree, observing everyone below them. My stomach twisted in knots as I frantically kept searching the shelves, trying to ignore the fact that they were not in the same situation as me. How were they not in this situation? I mean, they had been together in a much more serious manner for a much longer period of time. As much as my mind burned at the thought of my sister experimenting and the like, I wondered if they ever had. They had never made any inference that anything had happened, and my sister never seemed to have that characteristic glow that my mother always talked about. So was it safe to assume that the two of them just had infinitely more willpower than me and Evangeline? Cal was a twenty year old guy though, a little older than me, who had a serious relationship for the first time in his life. There was no way he had as much willpower as he presented when it came to my sister.

"If you stop panicking for a moment Shade, we can talk about this like responsible adults." Mare said with a huff as she turned and page and squinted at the fading text. I tried not to snort at her use of "responsible adults". If I had been one, I wouldn't be in this situation right now. Evangeline wouldn't be hundreds of miles away from me, panicking over what to do like I was. It had been a relatively long conversation for her to get it out anyway when we had been on the radio together. I'd only been able to speak with her three times in the time that I had been down here, regulations and rules for protecting the base and such, and the first time we had spoken had been when we had first arrived and I had called to tell her that I was safe along with the others. She'd been impossibly relieved, telling me that she was speaking with Farley about traveling down there on her own with Torin to get him medical help from Sara. She had been denied her request, as the riots that had broken out all across Norta had posed a dangerous threat for her and anyone who left Tuck. After she had found out about her pregnancy too, it had been deemed by the medic Garrett much too dangerous for her to travel alone. If Samson got ahold of her, there was no telling what would happen, and with Silvers crawling the streets looking for us, there was a much higher chance of her getting caught. She had been furious, but had eventually called me two months later to tell me everything. That second call had been only yesterday, but it felt like it had been centuries ago. After she had uttered the words that had ultimately changed both of our lives, I had been in shock, and unable to answer. For a moment, she had sounded panicked on the other end, her voice weak and quite as she'd asked if I was okay, if I was still there. I'd replied that I was, a few heartbeats later, and then told her that I needed to see her immediately. Farley had turned down the idea of me going to Tuck alone, and had shut down Evangeline's pleas to go down and meet me. In the end, the mutual understanding had been that she would travel with Farley and Torin down to the docks of Harbor Bay, where we were set to meet everyone, and from there, we would travel inland to grab the only train that could take us close enough to the border of the Lakelands. After that we would be left to trek the next hundred miles to Trial where we would be meeting up with the Scarlet Guard faction there.

"I need to have as much information as possible on hand when we leave. I refuse to go into this without any background." I grumbled as I flung another book into my pile. Cal glanced up then, his brow raised as he replied, "I have a feeling you may just have to accept the fact that there is a first for everything, and that you and Evangeline just happen to be that first."

I huffed in distaste as I threw a glare at him over my shoulder only to go back to searching the shelves with a new desperation. Julian Jacos shifted in his seat for a moment then, his eyes flickering to his nephew as he said, "Perhaps, someone who might have an idea of what could happen should go with you."

I straightened up in surprised and then turning from the shelves again, I replied, "You said that there wouldn't be anyone who would know anything about this."

Julian stroked his short beard for a moment, as if he were actually thinking about ut and then said, "Well, you're going to need someone who has studied the history of Reds and Silvers, someone who-"

"Absolutely not." Cal said, cutting his uncle off as he closed his book forcefully, sending dust particles into the air. For a moment, Julian looked murderous at his nephew's comment. He pointed a threatening finger in Cal's direction as the temperature in the room spiked, and spoke before Cal had a chance to say anything again, "Don't you dare tell me what I can and cannot do. I have sat at this estate for almost a year now, and I refuse to do nothing while this country tears itself apart."

"You would be doing something by staying safe." Cal argued as he stood up from his chair in fury. He hid the motion by crossing over to put his book back and grab another one out of my pile though. Julian huffed at the poor attempt of masking, and then glanced at Mare, as if she were going to step in and take his side. My sister only squirmed in her seat under that glare though, a movement I hadn't seen from her since she was little. She had told me about what Julian had done for her, how he had treated her like she was a human being, like she was an equal. How he had risked his life to help her get Farley and Kilorn out of the Palace. The little time I had spent around him too had only confirmed his character, and I was surprisingly honored that he was willing to help me with this issue.

"Now you're just being foolish Cal. You will need someone who has studied Lakelander history and who knows the terrain so that you can get to Trial safely." Julian spoke again, this time a little calmer, a little more centered. He did that often, I'd noticed. Normally, he was calm though, and his outbursts were uncommon normally.

"I've studied the terrain." Cal rebutted quickly.

"You've studied the battlefield, which is much different from the city. I figured after spending so much time with the Guard you would have figured that out by now." Julian's insult seemed to slap his nephew across the face, because Cal narrowed his eyes at the words and then simply set his book back down and left the room. I watched him go, and then glanced at Mare who was massaging the bridge of her nose slowly. She looked on the verge of flight too, as if when Cal lifted his wings and left, she needed to lift hers as well. Julian seemed to notice this too, because he waved his hand in a dismissive gesture in Mare's direction and said, "Go, he actually listens to you."

Mare bowed her head at the dismissal, and set her book down before hurrying after Cal. The doors to the library closed behind her, and I glanced back at the older Silver again as soon as they had snapped closed. He looked nothing like Cal, and if I didn't know any better, I would have said that the two of them weren't related at all. Where Julian had soft features, Cal had strong ones, where Julian was calm, Cal was a summer storm rolling on the horizon.

Julian sighed then, and stood up from his chair, his eyes soft as he looked at me again. Apparently, he had calmed down from his outburst, and he seemed to regret it too, because his eyes kept wandering toward the door while he spoke.

"I will travel with you. I hope you don't mind, but I would like to keep notes on her progression. If the world changes the way you all want it to, then I believe there will be many more children like your own born."

I snorted softly and leaned against the ladder next to me, tucking my hands into my pockets to hide my fidgeting hands. The Silver's eyes flashed to me again, and I shrugged as I said, "I always thought Mare would be the one to come to our family and tell us this news. I never thought-"

"Our best laid plans are always laid to waste," Julian interrupted, before quirking a brow and asking, "Have the two of them been… intimate in a way that would make you believe that?"

I shrugged again and then glanced out the window behind him at the noon sky. I wasn't even sure whether or not they had done anything like that. I doubted the two of them would even say anything about it if it did happen. Cal himself was normally uncomfortable when he talked about his relationship with my sister, and Mare had a habit of dropping into a shell whenever anyone tried to talk to her about it. I wasn't even sure if that was healthy either. Did that mean that there was something wrong with the relationship if they refused to talk about it outside of each other? Evangeline and I hadn't really talked about our relationship either, but we had never been sure at we were. Now though, we would have to speak about it, there was no doubt about that.

Speaking of Evangeline, I wondered if it was too much to call her for the second time today. I had spoken with her earlier this morning, hoping to find out how she was feeling. This time with Julian there, and Garrett had been on the other end as well. He had told Julian all of his observations and the older man had scribbled them down in a little black notebook, and then asked Evangeline some of his own questions. She had sounded rather uncomfortable speaking with Julian at first, but after he eventually reassured her, she had relaxed her tone.  
Now I just wanted to talk with her, tell her everything that I was feeling, how worried I was, and also how excited I was. Yes, I was excited, a nervous excited though that alternated with terror the more I thought about the situation. I never thought that I would have a child, never thought I would make it back from the front lines to even get married. I thought that if I did, I would end up with some quiet girl from the Stilts, who would cry at night over the bitter unfairness of the world. Fate, I guess, had had very different plans for me. What with running into Farley by complete chance, learning about what I could do, and eventually rising through the ranks of the Scarlet Guard, my future had been twisted from the moment I had first teleported. I supposed that was the same for every New Blood though.

Julian glanced at me curiously for a moment, and then tilting his head to the side he said, "If you need to speak with someone, I'm willing to listen and try to offer my best advice."  
I chuckled softly, and then looking up at him, I replied, "If you find a cure to the fear of what's coming, let me know. That might actually help me."

 _(/_ _ **Mare**_ _/)_  
Taking Julian's words to heart, I followed Cal's path through the house, trying to keep up with his long strides. I'd forgotten how fast he could walk when he was aggravated though, so I was breathing heavily after a few minutes. In the beginning his path was easy to follow too, but when he glanced over his shoulder and saw me following, he began to vary his path so that it was harder to keep up. He would turn suddenly to try and lose me, and after a while, I decided that it might be best to just leave him alone. So, I had stopped following him, and had instead watched his form disappear up a set of stairs. He needed to blow off steam, and he probably wouldn't want me around for that scene. Cal prefered to be alone when anything like this happened, and I felt terrible that he still tried to hide these moments from everyone. I knew it was because he was terrified to appear weak again. Even when he was around me, he was afraid to not appear in control.

I stood at the bottom of the stairs for a few seconds, my hand resting on the banister, and my foot on the first step. Deep down, I hoped that he would come back down and try to talk to me about why he was so upset. In the end though, I heard a door slam shut down the hall instead.

Slowly, I dropped my foot from the first step and then turned away from stairs, unsure about where to go. I was surrounded by silence in the house, until I heard the soft clap of heels on the floor. The sound sent shivers down my spine as I remembered Elara's heels clicking against the stone of the cells as she left me after digging through my mind. The person who came around the corner was no Elara though. I wished that I never thought about that she-devil ever again, but she was like a brand on my mind, and one that would probably follow me around until the day I died. Instead of the ghosts of my past coming around the corner though, Cal's grandmother appeared instead.

Anabel Lerolan was a beautiful woman, and was perhaps the most graceful woman I had ever seen. She was the epitome of what a Queen from a story book would be. She had a quick elegant smile that warmed you inside when she flashed it in your direction, and she could make a potato sack look fantastic. Today though, she wore a simple yellow gown, with her hair tumbling down in long silver curls. Her eyes found me across the room, and with a sad smile she crossed the room and said, "I heard what happened, Julian just told me."

"It's nothing, Julian will get his way and Cal will be upset for a while but he'll get over it. He always does." I assured as I tucked a loose hair behind my ear. Whenever I was in Anabel's presence, I felt the desperate need to appear like Mariana, or at least, the elegant parts of her. Anabel always seemed to see through my facade though, and this time was no different.

She offered her arm and said, "Come, walk with me, child."

I slipped my arm around hers hesitantly, unsure about what she had to say to me. We had never really talked since my arrival with Cal. There had been sort, superficial conversations, which mostly involved her asking about how Cal was feeling after the antidote had worn off, or whether I was enjoying the weather and such. Now though, she smiled as she walked down the hall with me, leading us in the direction of the garden. The sun from the windows next to us let in glorious sunlight and made the air around us seem so much warmer than it really was. It made the rubies around Anabel's neck glisten and blind me when I looked in her direction. She was radiant, and beautiful, and everything that Cal had described her as. I wished that I could carry myself the way she did, with a poise and confidence that seemed to radiate from deep within her.

"I've been meaning to speak with you ever since you came here. I've heard so much about you." She said with a chuckle. I winced and then turned my head away to avoid her gaze. No doubt she had heard about me, everyone in the country had. So which story had she heard, the story about the Red seductress, or the fearless Lightning Girl who was leading the rebellion against the murderous king? She'd known me for a few months though and didn't seem to hold any illwill against me, which lead me to believe that I had proven the first story wrong. If I hadn't she would detest me for turning her grandson against his own father, who happened to be her only son.

When I had gathered enough composure, I replied, "There's quite a few stories about me out there."

She patted my hand softly and chuckling again she said, "Oh I know a thing or two about stories, my dead."

I met her eye then, and she smiled softly before looking ahead of us, as if she were looking into the past. She sighed softly and said, "You wouldn't know the stories they told about Cal's mother, the poor thing. She had a far worse reputation than you do."

I didn't bother to respond, since she was right. I knew little to nothing about Cal's mother, which was about that same as him too. The only thing I knew about her was that she had gotten in Elara's way to the crown and had paid for it. I also knew that Elara had slowly made her go insane until she was forced to take her own life to end the misery, and finally, I knew that Cal had been a baby at the time, and that he barely remembered her. Once, when we were laying away and it was late at night, he had told me what little he thought he remembered. He had mentioned a voice, a soft lullaby that he could never remember the words too, and a heavy sadness that always seemed to surround a blurry face.

"I know that she was very kind woman, who faced a fate she didn't deserve." I whispered softly, and my words only seemed to draw a deep frown to Anabel's face. Her pace didn't falter though and I admired her for that. Cal had told me that Anabel had adored his mother, possibly more than her own son. She had seen a lot of herself in the young Singer, and she had been just as shattered by her death as his son.

She squeezed my fingers softly and then replied, "She was an angel in a garden of monsters. A rose in a sea of thorns, with a heart that yearned for peace. She married a man for love, and reaped nothing but pain for it."

"Elara," I whispered her name like a curse, and Anabel's lips curled into a sneer, the only true aggressive emotion I had seen from her. We passed through the doorway and into the garden, the sunlight soaking through my clothes and warming me to the core.

"That she devil tore the world apart to take a throne and put the whole thing back together the way she saw fit. She was a wicked woman, and I thought that I had seen plenty of those before I met her."  
"Cal told me that Evangeline used to remind him of her." I replied, remembering the night that Cal had told me that. I had sat bolt upright in bed, thinking about my brother who had been spending progressively more time around her. I had thought about red blood dripping from a knife, and Evangeline's laughter as her metal spiders crawled over my brother's flesh instead of my own.

"Evangeline Samos could never match the deeds Elara performed. That woman killed a Queen, and then took her place, only to kill the king later and frame the son." Anabel growled, and I almost pulled away from her in surprise. Anabel was a soft woman, not one to lash out like this. These emotions must have been stifled for years if she was acting like this. She must have noticed my expression though, because she smoothed her features over and then said, "She chased me out of Archeon for speaking out, mutilated Sara for the same reason, and then humiliated Julian until all he could do was sit in sullen silence and watch her pull the strings of the entire court. The three of us were the only ones who truly suspected her, my own son didn't even see through her lies."

"She was pretty damn convincing, I'm not surprised." I murmured bitterly, remembering her conversations that she had had with Maven right in front of me, and the way she had helped him to mold himself into a man that I could love. She had been the ultimate manipulator, and for some reason, I hated myself for not seeing that sooner.

Anabel glanced at me then, before sighing heavily and slowly sinking onto the edge of the fountain. The water behind her was sparkling and reflecting off the stone, creating dancing lights behind her. She patted the spot next to her then, and I took the invitation and sank down. She took my hands in hers, and held them tightly, before looking up and holding my gaze. It was the kind of look that you could never tear your eyes away from, because it simply froze you in place. I sat there, with her piercing eyes holding me in place as she said, "There is so much you have to know."

My brow raised, and I went to tell her that I knew enough as it was, but she squeezed my hands to silence me. I closed my mouth then and she leaned close to whisper, "I loved my son dearly, and I see a lot of him in my grandson. Both of them love with a fierceness that could burn the world down."  
Despite the sunshine, I shivered, remembering all the times that I had looked at Cal and seen his father. He not only looked like the man, but acted like him sometimes too. It only made me remember that some actions were unavoidable, some were written in our very genes.

"He loves you, adores you, and sees you as the light of his world. I don't have to tell you what would happen if he lost you, you saw it when you were in the Silver Court with his father. Coriane was the light of my son's world. She kept him there when he wanted nothing more than to run away. Cal will follow his father's footsteps if he loses you." She whispered hurriedly, as if she were afraid that she wouldn't have enough time to tell me everything. I tensed against her words though and whispered softly, "He can't though, he knows that the future for us is completely uncertain."

"He will make it so that you are his future though. He will burn the world down so that you can stand beside him. Nothing will stand in his way."

I pulled my hands from her then and shook my head. She was wrong, that was the Silver Prince who had died in the Bowl of Bones. The man who had been rescued by the Scarlet Guard was very different person, and that was the Cal that I knew now. That wasn't completely true though, because the Cal that I was in love with had always been there, hiding behind the silver mask of the Crown Prince. He had only been able to come to the front though after realizing that he didn't have to be that man anymore. I had fallen in love with the man, not the Prince, and I had told him that yesterday. Anabel didn't seem to understand that though. Cal's father had always been the masked prince, he had never been the man.

"I love Cal, not Tiberius VII." I whispered softly, and she looked so sad as I said that, and then reaching out she cupped my cheek and replied, "They are one in the same, child. Coriane learned that the hard way."

I pulled away from her then, and stood up in terror. She watched me with those sad, empty eyes, and I felt my chest rising and falling rapidly as I tried to keep from crying. She was wrong, Cal was smarter than that. He knew that putting this country back together was more important than keeping us together. If given the choice, he knew that he had to chose the crown, he had to pick the country and his duty again, not matter what his heart told him. He had done it before, and for that reason, I believed he could do it again. After all, Cal wasn't Maven, and that was the only thing that let me sleep at night when I imagined that future.

"He knows that he has to pick the crown, that this country needs a King, not a couple." I replied thickly, before turning my back on her. I knew that Cal would make the right choice, I knew that he would have to in the end. It would break my heart when he did, and no doubt it would break his heart too, but we would get through it. We always got through the situations that seemed to rip us apart.

I heard gravel crunch behind me, and I felt Anabel's hand slowly enclose my own. She cradled it between her own and then whispered softly, "I know, child, believe me, I know what it will cost both of you to make that decision."

I squeezed my eyes shut against the tears, and tried to not notice how softly she held my hand and how one of her arms wrapped around my shoulders to hold me close to her. As if she noticed the effort in my fight, she pressed a light kiss on my hair and then whispered, "Saying hello is always the easiest, it's goodbyes that are the hardest."

It wouldn't be goodbye completely though. We would still see each other, and we would still look at each other and yearn for something we couldn't have. When those times came though, we would have to shake hands and smile at each other and ask pleasant questions, while the one question that we really wanted the answer to tore through our minds. _Do you miss me as much as I miss you?_ That question would haunt us every night that we laid down, whether it was with someone else, or alone.

For a moment, I wished that she had never brought me out here to talk about this, but I knew deep down, that I needed to. I needed to talk about these things and actually think about them. I needed to start thinking about the future, because eventually, the rebellion would be over, and I would be in love with a King, and not a man anymore.

(/)

It was deep in the night when we finally met out at the stables to leave. Julian had his way and was saddling a horse next to us. Sara had demanded to go with him, and was now whispering softly with him, while she tied their bag down to the horse. She and Maggie had gone to the blood healer who Anabel had mentioned a few days ago early early this morning, and had only just returned from their journey. I glanced at Julian after staring at Sara for far too long, and then looked around him to see Cal saddling his horse. His back was to all of us, and I knew it was because he was still furious that his uncle was coming. He hadn't said anything about it though, and I knew it was because he was afraid of saying something horrible. Shade was saddling his own horse next to him, with Chelsea, who was chatting his ear off, completely oblivious to his distracted state. I went to tell her to leave him alone for the ride to the port town five miles north of here, but someone stepped into my path.

I paused suddenly to keep from running into the small form in front of me, and then glanced down to see Maggie smiling up at me with a pair of crystal clear blue eyes. My heart leaped into my chest upon seeing her, and I felt a soft smile stretch across my features as I saw those eyes actual hold my own for the first time. She smiled at my reaction, and then reached up to me, silently begging me to crouch down. I sank down onto my haunches in front of her then, and she reached out a shaking hand to set it on my cheek, her eyes watering as she whispered, "I can see you, Mare."

Slowly, I set my hand on her own and whispered, "I know."

Cal's voice called into the semi-darkness then, "It's time to leave, everyone with your partner."  
I smiled as I rose from a crouch, and took Maggie's hand to lead her over to Oscar, her riding partner. He smiled down at her, and then helped me lift Maggie up into the saddle. She would sit in front of him so that she would have an easier time holding on. She grinned brightly up at him, and he smiled down at her as he said gently, "Best to try and stay awake, Maggie, the sunrises down here are the best."

I chuckled at his comment and then patted Maggie's leg softly before starting toward Cal. MAggie would never make it so sunrise before she was fast asleep, but she woudl still have plenty of time on our journey to see sunrises and sunsets. It would take us a week to get to the Lakelands, and from there, a few days to Trial. Everything had been planned to the letter, and Farley had made sure that we were aware of the risks we would be taking with Evangeline coming with us. My brother had been adamant on her coming though, citing that if she didn't come, he wouldn't go.

Everyone had mounted their horses by the time I reached Cal, and were waiting for me. Cal glanced down at me and then offered his hand to help me up into the saddle. I gripped his wrist tightly and let him pull me up into the saddle behind him. I wrapped my arms around his middle immediately, my head spinning with terror as he kicked the horse and started our parade out of the stable. I hated horses, hated how big they were, how easily they could step on me, and how I didn't really have any control over them. Dogs and cats were easy, I just had to shoo them away, but a horse was an entirely different story.

Shade followed behind us, with Chelsea who was in the same position as me, gripping Shade tightly while the horse rocked underneath her. She had had more practice on the horse than me, so I prided myself a little bit on the fact that I was more composed than she was on the beast. Shade gave me a smile as we went, and then glanced over his shoulder to make sure everyone was following us in the practiced formation.

Julian and Sara's horse followed behind them, with Maven's horse tied to his so that he didn't try and escape. Taking him with us like this had been a big risk, one that Cal and I had argued about for hours. Cal had said that with Maggie coming along, she would be able to control him if he tried anything. I had argued that there might be a time when she wasn't around and he managed to slip away. In the end though, Farley had told us to bring him, and that she would bring a pair of silencer cuffs with her to keep him from using his abilities. It was one more precaution, but a weak one, and we all knew it. For that reason, we were all extremely cautious around him, and from his smug smile, he seemed to know that.

Finally, Maggie and Oscar brought up the rear like we had practices, with Maggie keeping a close eye on Maven in front of her. We were an odd mismatch of people, but we were the group that would travel to the Lakelands and try to get help from our sister branch. I hugged Cal's middle softly, as I thought about that, and how I wouldn't imagine doing this with anyone else. He reached up then, and clutched my cold fingers between his burning ones. I relaxed a little at that touch and then pressed a kiss into the back of his neck.

We passed over the rise that led to the road, and as we did, I glanced behind me at the safety of the Lerolan estate. In the distance, I thought I could make out Anabel standing on the front steps with a candle watching our progress. Her warning danced around my head and I turned quickly and buried my face in Cal's jacket to try and hide from the truth. Cal seemed to sense the tension in my body because he untangled one of my hands from the other and brought it up to press a kiss on my palm. I turned my head then to rest my cheek on his shoulder and saw Maven diagonal to me. His eyes were like fire as he took us in, and for a moment I remembered his earlier threats, and his actions. When he caught me looking at him, he smirked darkly, and then turned his eyes away. I ground my teeth together and then turned my head away. I couldn't stop thinking about if people could actually change, or if we stayed the same through our entire lives. Maven was a prime example of someone who never changed, but I was an example of someone who could, right? Was I still the same selfish girl from the Stilts, or was I someone else now? As we rode toward the little unnamed town where we would take a tiny boat to Harbor Bay, I wondered if we had just given Maven the the opportunity to betray us again.

* * *

 ** _Author's Note PLEASE, PRETTY PLEASE READ!:_**

 _Greetings lovelies! Deepest, most sincere of apologies about not updating, but here's the story since you deserve it. I had a C in chemistry and as someone who wants to go to medical school that's really not an option, so I had to get a really really good grade on my final, so I spent ninety percent of my time studying for that. I also had just a crap ton of work, we're talking two final ten page papers due in the same week, yeah it was rough. Also, I just kind of lost the will to write for a while for a couple reasons. One being that I had a period of time where I was being tested for depression, and also because I felt like no one was really reading. Now on Wattpad, I can see that people are reading because I get such amazing feedback in comments that people leave, and I don't want to be primadona or anything, or even an attention whore, but on Fanfiction, I feel like people aren't really reading anymore. I don't get that many reviews (and I feel terrible saying this because I feel like such a demanding person) but reviews are kind of what kind mye going. I don't get paid to write this story, and I barely have time to write other things on the side because I'm so worried about pumping chapters out for this one. I'm working to outline and publish a trilogy right now, and this is almost my trial run to see if I could write a story of that length. So feedback is super important._

 _Reviews are crucial on fanfiction guys, they really are, because they let authors know that people like the work and that they should continue. I've seen too many stories left unfinished because they didn't get reviews. PLEASE, PLEASE REVIEW! You don't even need an account, you can leave anonymous ones. It take ten seconds to write one, and honestly they make any writers day, I know they make mine whenever I open my email and see that I got an email from fanfiction._

 _Anyway, I'm done ranting now, so here's the news for this story: we're starting to get past the hard exposition stuff and into the action. I'm super excited for this story because it's filled with action scenes that I've never gotten to write before (*cough* TRAIN CHASE *cough*). Anywho, this chapter was kind of on the short side for me, and the next one might be too. I think I might be only writing short chapters for this story cause it seems a lot easier, we'll see what happens though._

 **Question time!  
Anyone excited for the Lakelands? We meet some hella cool people there and I can't wait to introduce them! (: **


	5. Chapter 3

GatC Chapter 3

 _(/ **Mare** /)_

I stumbled into the wall of the ferry as it rocked on our way into the harbor. We had had some rough sea on the way up from the village where we had gotten on, and everyone had been forced below decks. Now though, I couldn't stand the cramped room, or Cal's heat, or Julian trying to tell Maggie stories to keep her from thinking about her seriously upset stomach. I couldn't take the creaking of the ship, or the sound of Shade snoring softly anymore.

Pushing off the wall, I managed to get to the stairs and grab the railing before I was tossed to the side again. Our captain was either drunk or nonexistent with how much we were rocking. I groaned as my stomach heaved, and pulling myself up the stairs I hissed, "I hate boats."

The deck was soaking wet from the rain and waves, but I still managed to make my way to the side and grab the railing. I heaved up all the contents in my stomach, which was pitifully little, and then leaned my forehead on my arm. The cool sea breeze felt fantastic on my hot, sticky, skin. I wondered if it would help to bring Maggie up here to relieve her stomach too, but there was no way she would make it up here before she lost everything in her stomach. Poor thing had almost thrown up all over Cal, but had changed her trajectory at the last second to almost lose everything in Maven's lap. He's hissed and shoved her toward Chelsea who had caught her and grabbed the bucket just in time.

"Regretting the soup from earlier?" A voice taunted next to me, and I snapped my head up to see Maven watching me with an amused smile. He was standing behind me, his arms crossed and his brow raised with mocking laughter at my state. I huffed at his tone, and then turning around I said, "Save it for someone who cares Maven."

He chuckled and then ended up standing next to me. My skin prickled at his heat, remembering the last time we had stood on a ship together. He had kissed me, and I had let him, had melted into his touch, because I had been desperate to feel something in that moment. If he was looking for a similar moment, he wouldn't get it.

"Will you just leave me alone? I don't want to talk to you." I grumbled as I pushed off from the railing and tried to leave and avoid him. I really, really didn't want to have to talk to him and deal with his attitude, or his word games.

"Come on Mare, we haven't talked in so long, was our last conversation really that bad?" He whispered in my ear as he set his hands on my shoulders, paralyzing me, and leaned close enough that his breath brushed against the hairs on my neck. I shivered unconsciously, and he chuckled as he whispered, "Good to see things haven't changed much."

My heart hammered in my chest, and a whole host of alarms went off in my head. I yanked myself out of his grip and flipping around I pointed a threatening finger in his face and hissed, "Don't touch me."

"Why? I wasn't doing anything wrong." He said as he leaned close to me again and smiled wryly. I sneered and then whispered, "Don't play games around here Maven, you're not in your court anymore."

"No? How unfortunate, you're not either." He said with a shrug as he leaned back against the railing. He smirked at me, the smirk that made me want to literally strangle him and then throw his body off the boat so no one knew it was me. If he thought he was so safe, and entitled, just wait until we got to the Trial and the council decided his fate. I would laugh as they wiped that smirk off his face and pronounced his death sentence. I would be clapping like a gleeful child when they put him before a firing squad like he had done to me. I would sleep easy that night too, I would curl up in my bed and sleep like a rock for the first time in my life.

His lips quirked up slightly more when he saw that I wasn't going to reply to his comment, and then with another shrug he said, "Apparently a court is no good without a King behind the Queen. Oh sorry, you're not going to be that Queen, are you?"

My lips curled up into a smile as I straightened up and replied, "Who said I wasn't?"

He snorted and then crossed his arms in front of his chest, showing how ease he was in front of me. How dare he be that casual. I could fry him where he stood, surely he knew that? I held his gaze instead of acting on my desires though, my chin raised defiantly and my eyes narrowed as I challenged him. He merely smirked again and then pushed off from the railing to take a step that put him within my defenses. He reached up as if to brush my hair out of my face, and I went to twist away, only for him to change trajectory and grab my chin instead. He held my head in place and then leaned close to whisper in my ear, "It's almost sweet how well you've lied to yourself. Don't lie though Mare, we both know how terrible you are at that. "

I inhaled sharply and then ground my jaw and spit, "You would know all about lies wouldn't you?"

He smiled softly then, and I tensed in terror as the shadow to the flame appeared before me, like a ghost slipping out of the grave. My brows shot up into my hairline at how soft his voice was when he replied, "Oh I know all about them. I was nursed on them, and then I learned to write them. My performance with you was my greatest lie though Mare, you believed every word I spoon fed you like a baby. It was pathetic." He released my chin, and then laughed up to the dark sky before looking back at me and putting that broken boy's mask back on as he circled behind me and purred in my ear, "Oh trust me," he practically whined in my ear as he continued, "I know my brother, if it comes down it, saving your life or saving his crown, we both know what he will choose."

I flinched at those words, at the truth that rang with them. He had delivered those words to me in Narcery, and he delivered them in the same tone of voice now. Those words had a different power now though. He knew Cal wouldn't haven choosen me on that bridge back then, but now, we both knew that given the choice at this very moment, Cal would drop the crown into his brother's greedy hands just to be with me for one night. The tears burned in my throat but I shoved them down, I won't let him have the satisfaction of knowing the he had wounded me with those words.

Maven's breath was hot on my neck though as he purred, "Your line is, he would _never_ choose me. Deliver it whenever you're ready."

I flipped around then, his words sparking my lightning in me as I hissed, "You're sadistic."

He laughed at that pathetic attempt to attack him and then leaned back down to stick his face in mine and whisper, "Please Mare, look in a mirror when you say things about yourself."

I bristled at that, but didn't reply. There was nothing left to say, and he knew it. The mask melted away, and there he was, Maven, the Boy King, who would kill a thousand people for the chance to have me in a cell where he could torture me on his own. I wanted to scream at him, to strangle him, but I couldn't move. I couldn't even breathe. He turns his back, and starts to walk away, apparently done tormenting me. With the last of the breath in my lungs I whispered, "You're still the same jealous little boy you've always been. You just got to wear a bigger crown for a little while"

He froze but didn't turn. Instead, he shrugged, and then kept walking. I knew my words had cut deep though. He knew, I knew, and he hates that I knew that fact. We knew each other too well, like old advisories, we had faced each other in too many situations not to know the words that hurt the most. As he reached the door to go below decks, Cal came up. The two of them stood at the top of the stairs for a moment, Cal a whole head taller than his brother, staring down at him with narrowed, cautious eyes. Maven smiled wickedly and then glanced in my direction. He winked at me then, like we were sharing a joke, and then continued down the stairs. Cal watched him go, and I steamed silently. As Cal approached me then, I was worried for a moment that I might actually be steaming. Cal radiated warmth, but the air around was already sticky with humidity, so I pulled away a little bit when he reached out for me. He looked hurt for a second, but I gestured to the air and whispered, "It's too hot," and then pointed to him and said with a soft grin, "also too hot."

He smirked for a second, as if he was proud to hear me say that, but the smile fell quickly when he looked back in the direction that Maven had gone. He tilted his head to the side and then asked, "Is everything okay then?"

"I came dangerously close to tearing his head off his shoulders, does that count?" I asked thought clenched teeth, as I turned around to glare out at the open ocean. Cal blinked for a moment, not sure what to say to that, and then replied, "Well I suppose we're putting up a united front then."

I couldn't help it, my lips cracked into a smile but I threw a glare at him for it anyway. He above all people should know how much I liked my brooding. He was grinning at me though, and it was the kind of grin that never failed to make me smile, because it sometimes seemed so damn out of place with him. He used to look so stern and unapologetic, but now, now I could see the beginnings of laugh lines near his eyes and mouth. I could see the spark in his eye, and the light that exploded out from him like the sun. He was a flame in its own right, the kind that chased away the darkness when you were alone in the woods and terrified of the shadows that seemed to stalk behind you. He kept away the monsters that played in the shadows with his light. He was the fire that burned down a forest only to make it grow back, newer, greener, and stronger. He was the flame that I kept close to my heart, and that kept me going.

He reached out to trail his fingers along the back my hand, and I opened it to him, letting his fingers trace the callous on my palm. He cupped my hand like it was a tiny bird, and lifted it up to observe it as he continued to trace the scars that were like a roadmap on my hand. I stepped closer to him then, letting that warmth envelope me, and sooth me. The ship slowed to a gentle rock, and the waves seemed to quiet around us. I watched his fingers though, mesmerized by the way they moved. They reminded me of a pianist's sometimes, but they were the hands of a worker, a mechanic, and a soldier. Once upon a time, I had been surprised to see a Crown Prince with those hands, now, I realized that they were the hands of a king who cared about his people. He cared about the little pieces that rolled under the tool box and needed to be fished out to help. He cared about the sound each piece made as it preformed its task. He cared about how the pieces worked together, and not whether they actually preformed the task they were assigned.

He lowered his head to place his forehead against mine, and breathed softly, "We're in the harbor."

I ignored his words, knowing that they meant we needed to break this moment and go below decks to gather our gear. Even though he was the one to speak those words, he also doesn't move to leave. Instead, he slipped an arm around my waist and pulled me closer so that I'm not only wrapped in his heat, but also his embrace. I threaded my arms under his to wrap them around him, and hugged him close. He pressed a kiss to my hairline in response, running a soothing hand up and down my back. We're locked in this moment for what feels like centuries, but I know it's only seconds. It was always only seconds, and it was completely unfair. Either the universe hated me, or it favored someone else, because there was never enough time with Cal.

The ferry let out a shrill whistle to announce its presence in the harbor, and I look over my shoulder at the city that was rapidly approaching. The lights of the early morning city shone on the water as we passed dingy apartments and entered Harbor Bay.

Cal was silent, watching them as well, until he lifted my chin up to meet his eye and whispered, "Only two weeks with him and we'll finally be free."

I nodded, but we both knew that we'd never be truly free. I would always be haunted by a shadow boy that never existed, and Cal will always be haunted by a boy that he failed as a brother.

(/)

The dock that we arrived at was empty, spare a heavy fog that always came with the weather in Harbor Bay. We slowly descended the ramp single file and the moment we set foot on the worn planks, three shadows detached from the edge of the dock a good hundred feet from us and begin to take shape. Hooded, they look like angels of death come to great us at the end and take us to the afterlife. For a moment, my imagination got the best of me, and my hand snaked out to grab the sleeve of Cal's jacket. He glanced at me with narrowed eyes, but eventually turned his gaze back to his brother, who was held tightly in his grip. Maven watched the figures slowly approach us, and for a moment I wondered if he saw the same thing I did.

Shade paused next to me, and watched the figures for a moment as well, until one of them broke away and started to approach quicker. He dropped his bag with a thud against the dock and then sprinted toward it. They met in a mash of shadow and human, until the hood fell from the shadow's head and a mass of platinum blonde tumbled into view. At that, Chelsea let out a happy squeal and ran toward the other two, whispering her best friend's name. Torin threw his hood of with one hand when he saw her, and then wrapped Chelsea in a one-armed hug when she arrived.

We all took the signal then, and Farley paused to wait for us. She didn't remove her hood though. My lips quirked up in a smile at that. Always following her own orders and setting an example, even when others didn't. As we passed Shade and Evangeline, I saw the two of them whispering carefully. Shade's eyes never left hers though, he was glued onto those depths and refused to move, even when she looked away. He followed her movements like he was shadowing her, but when she did glance away, he cupped her cheek and pulled her back to look at him. I paused and watched them for a moment, curious to watch this spectacle. On the edge of my senses, I felt the change in air as Cal continued on, and I heard Chelsea calling for Sara softly, no doubt to heal Torin's arm. My eyes were stuck on my brother though, and I watched as he shifted Evangeline's cloak slightly and revealed the definitive evidence that his life would never be the same again. The shirt Evangeline wore did manage to hide most of it, but the angle that I am at gave me a full view of the bump underneath. She was already showing, and something squirmed inside me at that fact. I may love Maggie, and the other New Blood children, but I did not like babies. Babies were too strange, too innocent, too tiny to comprehend. This was even stranger though. When I had been Mareena, I had known that someday Evangeline would stand on a dais next to Cal, beaming with power and a crown, while she glowed with an heir. This was not what I imagined to see though. She glowed alright, and she only seemed to explode with that light as Shade whispered excitedly to her. Her smile was worth a thousand watts of energy as she replied in the same hurried, yet excited tone. She was not on a dais though. She was on a dock in the dark, underneath a rusted gas lamp, wrapped in my brother arms, whispering about a secret that neither of them could comprehend yet.

Shade's eyes flashed to me for a moment, and that seemed to break the spell. I ripped my eyes away from them and continued toward the rest of the group. Maven watched the two of them even after I had turned away though, his eyes narrowed in confusion as he tried to place this new Evangeline in the image of the old one. She was not the same though and he needed to realize that. As I arrived, I was greeted by Maggie's overly enthusiastic voice telling Torin everything she'd seen so far, which mostly consists of the underside of the deck and the bottom of a bucket. He laughed though, and tried not to grimace as Sara tried to straighten out his horribly mangled arm. She frowned as she worked, muttering to herself. I noticed that she did that a lot now that she could speak again. It was almost like she was afraid to stop talking again. I didn't blame her, when you didn't speak for eighteen years, you probably wanted to taste every word on your tongue again.

Farley watched her warily as Sara began her work, but the minute her eyes landed on Julian, she smiled. He had saved her twice now, and she knew it, she knew that she owed him more than her life. He simply dipped his head respectfully in response to her expression, and Farley glowed with pride at that motion. Her eyes landed on Maven then, and that light in her eyes dimmed very quickly. He grinned at her and then mocked, "Hello Diana, it's been a while."

"Not long enough, bastard."

His lips curled at her choice of words, and he openned his mouth to reply, but Farley bared her teeth like a dog and growled, "You're no king anymore. Get used to it." She glanced at Cal then, and narrowing her eyes asked, "Are you sure you'll be able to handle him while we try to do this?"

He glanced down at Maggie in response and then nodded. She had been charged with keeping Maven in line, if he tried to run, she was supposed to make sure he couldn't take a step. I had a feeling that Maggie would step over the line though. She was not exactly fond of Maven, which was a feat in and of itself, since Maggie always found a way to see the good in someone.

Farley didn't even question Cal's silent response, she doesn't question anything Cal did anymore. Her eyes landed on Shade and Evangeline a few feet away then, both of them still completely absorbed in each other, and whispered, "I don't like bringing her along in this condition. Garratt doesn't either."

"Well it's either she comes along, or Shade goes back to Tuck with her. You're not going to be able to separate them now." I replied carefully. I wished deep down that that wasn't true. I wished Shade would just take this moment, and then kiss Evangeline goodbye and continue on with us. He wanted to be there though, and there was no telling how long we would be gone. We may never even make it to Trial, we might get stuck and die along the way, and Evangeline would have to raise that child on her own. It was a horrible thought, so I chased it away.

Farley's eyes met my own, and she raised her brow before asking, "Are you sure you'll be able to handle proximity to-" her eyes flashed to Maven-"our guest?"

Maven huffed in disgust and grumbled, "That guest has a name."

"One that isn't important anymore." Farley replied cooly, and then turned back to me expecting an answer. I narrowed my eyes and replied just as stiffly as her, "I can handle this."

She raised her chin at that, but nodded nonetheless. She knew me, she knew how I tended to handle people I didn't play well with. In her own words, I was worse than a toddler in the sandbox when it came to people I didn't like. Her eyes went back to Shade and Evangeline again, and she cleared her throat before saying, "I hate to break up the happy reunion, but we have a train to catch, and a ways to go before we get there."

The two of them immediately halted their chattering and glanced over at Farley who nodded in the direction of the end of the dock. My eyes followed hers, but all I could see was an empty street rolling with fog. The silence was suddenly split by the cry of a horse though, and Maggie let out of soft gasp before she glanced at Farley and inquired, "Are we going to ride horses again?"

There was a smile that Farley reserved for Maggie only, one that was filled with so much hope that it could only be because this little girl could be the key to her revolution. That smile was delivered now, and Maggie's eyes widened at it. She had never seen that smile, and had never been able to witness how Farley's face changed when she did think about how possible it was that all the work she had put in would one day be worth it.

"No, we will be taking the help of another Whistle who will give us a ride to the edge of Harbor Bay."

Maven sneered and then murmured, "There will be guards because of the riots, you will not be able to-"

"You spent some time with us, and you fought us for almost two years, I would think you would at least keep an open mind about our tactics." Farley sniffed in distaste and then turned on her heel and strolled toward the end of the dock. I glanced at Maven then and inquired with a raised brow, "Riots?"

He chuckled darkly at having my full attention, and then replied, "You started a chain of events Mare. You and my brother sparked a war. Congratulations, you've just put Norta on the brink of tearing itself to pieces."

Cal shoved him forward to silence him, and forced him to follow Farley. I watch them go, my heart pounding in my chest. We knew this was coming, we knew we would put Norta on the edge and force it to fall off and smash into a thousand different pieces at the bottom. I was not prepared to see the aftermath of what I had done though.

A warm hand landed on my shoulder, and I started in surprise until I heard Julian whisper in my ear, "This country has always been a pile of dry timber waiting to catch fire. You and the Guard have simply let the spark loose. It is not one single person's fault what happens, war takes many to begin."

I nodded weakly, remembering his lessons _. Man will always fall_ ; we will always find a new way to destroy ourselves. That had been his promise to me, and I believed it, every word. Julian passed me with Sara, who had finished with Torin's arm. He stood there dumbfounded though, moving his arm in circles and turning his wrist as if he had never seen it do that before. I smiled at that, and then approached Chelsea, Oscar, and him when they started to go after us. Torin looked absolutely shocked by my movement to cut them off, but Chelsea's eyes glanced knowingly in the distance, in the direction of a secret island that housed hundred of people now.

"Go back to the Tuck, all three of you." I whispered softly, earning an immediate argument from Torin, and an open mouthed stare for Oscar.

"But, but, Maggie is going!" Torin stuttered as he glared over my shoulder at the little girl who was trailing after Cal like a shadow. The sigh that escaped me was weak and tired, but I straightened my shoulders to appear more put together and forceful. I knew this argument would come, Torin and Oscar wanted to fight, and now that Torin was healed, he would want revenge. I needed them on Tuck though, training and protecting the New Bloods. I needed someone who was experienced there, in case Cal and I didn't come back.

"Maggie is a key piece in this mission. She is going to keep Maven from escaping while we travel. I have a much more important mission for you three though." I said, earning a nod from Chelsea and silence from the other two. I smiled proudly at the three of them then, remembering how far they have come. Torin and Chelsea, two children born in Grey Town, and forced to the break, but never truly doing so. Torin, who lost a sister, and everything on the fateful night that we had come to retrieve them. Oscar, a boy who lived on the streets, and who had been one of two to take up our banner after Delphie. The three of them had become soldiers, and I was proud of all of them.

"If everything goes to plan, we'll need the New Bloods to be ready to fight. Someone has to go back and train them. You three all the only ones who have trained under me and Cal long enough. Go back to Tuck and train the others, protect them, go out and collect more. Do what Cal and I do, _be us_."

Torin's head fell until his chin hit his chest. Oscar's eyes widened and he whispered in an awestruck voice, "But we're not you."

"No you're not, but you can follow your training, which was the same training that Cal received, and the same training he gave me. We passed on everything we know to you three, so pass it on to the others."

Torin looked up with tears in his eyes and whispered, "You may not come back, that's why you're doing this."

My stomach dropped at those words, and I shook my head quickly. It was a lie though, and we all know it. Maven had been right, I was a terrible liar.

"No, we will be back, and we'll need an army when we do. So make sure they're ready. Make sure Phoenix Legion is prepared. Can you three do that?" I whispered the name of the legion softly, knowing how much pride the three of them had in that name. They were the first to build it, the first to join. They were the originals, and they knew it. Sure enough, Torin's eyes lit with the fire the burned in his bones, and he replied with that same burning determination that he always had, "Of course Mare, we'll be ready."

"Good." I replied with satisfied smile. Chelsea let out a soft sob though, and then threw her arms around me. I stiffened in surprise, only to hug her back a heartbeat later. Before I knew it, Torin was hugging me too, whispering a blessing that we get there safe. Oscar joined in last, and just hugged me in silence. That loneliness I had once been so afraid of feeling fell to shreds around me. I have never been alone, ever. My family was with me, and these people have become a part of that family. I trusted them with me life.

After a minute of this, I cleared my throat and pulled out of their arms. They all smiled softly and shuffled their feet, unsure of what to do now. I nodded at Torin and ordered, "Take them back the way you came with Farley, and keep an eye on the radios for our call."

They all nodded, in unison almost, and I turned on my heel to leave. I wouldn't look back, looking back meant that I had to memorize their features, like I'd never see them again. I would see them again though, I promised myself as I broke into a jog to get to the end of the dock.

Everyone was loading a set of carts, while Farley gave directions to the two drivers, instructing them on what to do should anything happen while we are riding, and what to do when they returned. When I reached them though, everything was done, and Cal was lifting Maggie up into the back of the cart that Maven was already in. She stood up and glanced back at the dock and waved sadly to the people who had become her family as well. Cal glanced at me as I arrived, and then asked, "How did they take it?"

I shrugged and replied softly, "Not too well, but they'll get over it and do what we need them to do."

He nodded in understanding, and then glanced back at them as well. Torin raised his arm in a sad goodbye, and Cal replied with the same. The two of them had become like brothers during the time they had spent together, and without a doubt, Cal was who Torin would miss the most. Cal's eyes were sad too, as he said, "We're sure they'll be okay on their own? We'll be out of contact with them for a while."

"They'll be fine, you trained them." I replied with a smile that I could actual feel deep inside me. He had trained them, they were prepared. With that smile still on my face, I lifted myself up into the cart, and laid flat between two crates of supplies. Maggie sat down against the side. She was small enough still that she could hide like that, but she had recently been hitting growth spurts, and she wouldn't be that small for long.

Cal climbed in after me, and settled down on the other side of the crates. He could see me around them, but he was closer to Maggie who glanced down at him and asked, "How long will we have to hide?"

"For a while, so get comfortable." Cal replied with a soft chuckle. Maven huffed from where he was lying down and then growled, "This is by far the worst plan I have ever participated in."

"Oh shut up." I growled, as Farley arrived at the foot of the cart. She climbed in gracefully, with the prowess of a cat, and then crawled over me to be as close to the driver as possible. It would be a tight squeeze with all of us and the crates, but it would be even tighter for Shade, Evangeline, Julian, and Sara. They are all not exactly small in stature like Maggie and I, so there will be even less space in that cart. It would be following behind us, and hopefully appear to be a part of a father and son caravan.

The driver arrived by my feet then. A young man who must be about Cal's age, he looked rather handsome for someone who had lived his life in the dirt like me. He gave me a smile and then inquired with a voice breathless with excitement, "Is everyone ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be to die." Maven grumbled, and he earned a kick to the shoulder from Maggie for his comment. She glowered at him and said, "I can make you silent for the whole ride if you talk like that."

He stuck his tongue out at her like a child and then replied, "I am riding in a cart to my death trial, do you honestly think I'll be happy about that?"

"At least you're getting a trial." I mumbled, and the only person who seemed to hear it was Cal, who laughed at the irony of the statement. I glanced at him, and he winked before saying to Maggie, "Keep him as quiet as possible Maggie, we don't want anyone to hear anything from back here."

Maven opened his mouth to protest but Maggie grinned in his direction and no sound came out. His mouth closed like a trap then, and he crossed his arms just as the young man and his father pulled a heavy tarp over us, bathing us in darkness. Maggie let out a gasp at the sudden change of light, and then whispered, "Won't we run out of air?"

"I hope we do." Maven grumbled, earning another kick from Maggie. He grunted as the kick missed his shoulder and probably caught his ear instead. I grinned at that possibility, oh this was going to be too much fun.

The son and his father spoke for a few seconds outside before another tarp was placed over us and then tied down securely. A few holes had been poked into the sides, and air flowed through them, and so did a little bit of light. Maggie crawled toward one of the holes to look outside and accidentally kneed Cal in the shoulder while doing so. He grunted in pain and then whispered, "How about we stay in one place Maggie, it's a tight squeeze in here."

"I hope she elbows you in the nose." Maven whispered and I glared at him before spitting, "I hope every pothole we hit is on your side!"

"Honestly if I have to hear you two the entire ride, I will have you both executed when we get to Trial!" Farley hissed, and she was met by silence afterward. The cart lurched forward then, and I exhaled softly before glancing out of one of the holes in the tarp to watch the lamp light pass by. Little circles of light crossed our faces as we went from shadow to light, and then back again. I could hear the creak of the wheels as they rolled through mud and over cobblestone, and I could hear the huff of the horse behind us as it pulled the other cart.

I closed my eyes in response to those sounds, suddenly exhausted. It was late at night, almost morning at this point, and I hadn't slept all night. Slowly, I began to drift off to sleep, my eyes getting heavier with each past second. I drifted in and out of sleep for a little while, waking every so often to Cal's soft whisper as he spoke with Maggie under his breath so that no one heard us, and Farley's soft snore as she also fell asleep at some point.

Eventually, Maggie stuck her leg out to stretch and kicked me hard enough to wake me completely. My eyes flew open and I went to sit up only to remember the tarp that was hanging above me. I froze before I could shift it, and then slowly turned my head to the side to see Maggie lying with her head on Cal's shoulder while she looked at the tarp above our head. She didn't seem to notice that she had woken me up, so I just sat and listened to them for a little bit. It had been a long time since I had heard Maggie and Cal's strange little midnight talks. Maggie always seemed to have the strangest little questions in the early hours of the morning, and now didn't seem so different.

"Why is the sky blue, Cal? Why can't it be yellow or white?"

Cal sighed, obviously exhausted, and replied, "Because there are special particles in the air that reflect blue light more than any other color."

Maggie seemed to digest that for a second, and then asked him again, "Why do they do that?"

"I really don't know Maggie." He said with a yawn before closing his eyes. Maggie frowned and then nudged him saying, "You promised you'd stay awake the whole ride."

He chuckled softly and then replied, "I know, I'm sorry."

They were silent for a little while again, enough time that Cal might had fallen asleep again. Maggie nudged him again though and asked, "Hey Cal, if you ever got injured, could you burn your cut closed? Like the medics did that one time with Will?"

He shrugged, apparently not asleep after all, and replied, "I don't know. I've never tried."

Maggie paused for a moment and then asked another question, "Why don't you marry Mare right now?"

There was deathly silence inside of the cart, broken only by Farley's soft snores and Maggie's gentle breathing. I held my breath, knowing the answers that were bouncing around Cal's head. We had made them up together, and had practically rehearsed them like a script. He still hesitated though, still paused, as if the words couldn't leave his throat. After a few minutes, he replied softly, "Because, something's…" he trailed off, about to say the one that we told ourselves on a daily basis. I almost finished it for him too, almost turned my head and whispered, because something's aren't meant to be, not matter how much we want them to work out.

Instead, he stopped, and whispered something else, "Because it would put Mare in danger ,Maggie. There will be many, many people who will want to be Queen once I am King. A lot of them will not be good people."

"But if you marry Mare, then you won't have to worry about them, because she will be Queen." Maggie replied as she shifted again, nudging me with the toe of her boot. I tensed at the touch, and realized that she had woken me on purpose a couple minutes ago. She wanted me to hear this, to know the real reason Cal wouldn't do it.

Cal chuckled softly, and then replied in a hushed tone, "You're right, but I couldn't ask her to live in a place that almost destroyed her. I couldn't ask Mare to possibly become a person that she hates."

Maggie didn't reply to that. What was she supposed to say? Cal fell to silence as well, and eventually I heard the soft breathing that signaled that he had fallen asleep. I turned my head then, and glanced at the two of them. Maggie had fallen asleep as well, and was curled up against him to absorb some of his heat. I watched them for a few minutes, watched their chests rise and fall with sleep before I slowly turned my eyes back to the tarp above my head. I had burned their sleeping faces into my mind, because there would come a day, when I wouldn't get to see them like that. Maggie would stay with Cal, no questions asked. He was like a father to her, and she had already lost enough people without losing him too. I would find my place with Farley and rest of the Guard, but I had a doubt it would be close to them. People knew about Cal and me, they knew that we were close, close enough that we often advised each other, and were never seen without the other. If I were to be in his close entourage, people would be suspicious, they would ask questions that would be hard to answer. I would carry a label around that would make me a mockery and that would soil my family. I would be the king's secret, not that kings didn't have mistresses. I would just be a very obvious one.

As the cart continued to roll along, I tried to force the future from my mind. I needed to focus on the mission, and what was coming. We had a long journey ahead of us to Trial, and I didn't need to be distracted by my feelings right now.

(/)

It was barely noon when we finished trekking through the heavy woods that sheltered a set of train tracks deep within them. Farley paused at the top of a high rise, holding her hand up to order us to halt. Behind me, Evangeline let out a soft sigh of relief and sank onto a rock. Shade crouched next to her, his hand sliding over hers as he asked her how she was feeling. She threw him a glare and growled, "I'm pregnant, not impaired."

Her words made me chuckle, and my brothers expression almost sent me into a fit of giggles. He was used to the women he picked fawning for his affection, practically crawling around his feet for it. Evangeline was not that pathetic though, and in fact, she looked to be in an even worse mood because of his constant worrying and touching hands. I didn't blame her either, if I were in the same position and Cal was all over me, asking me every five seconds how I felt, I would have sent him out of the house. There was no house for Shade to leave though, and I had a feeling that even if she did send him out, he would just sit on the roof.

"They're one in the same." Maven grunted as he walked passed her then. I glared at him for the comment, knowing how easily it would set Evangeline off in this state. The knife that slammed into the tree next to his head a heartbeat later came dangerously close to hitting him too.

I barely glanced over my shoulder then to see Evangeline reaching for another one out of her boot, but Shade grabbed her arm and whispered something to her. Probably telling her that it wasn't worth it, but like me, she was starting to wonder if it was. He had been anything but cordial toward her during our hike, and I wouldn't blame her if she chucked a knife into his back. He had constantly been poking fun at her, mentioning offhandedly how horrible it was that her child wasn't of noble birth, and how unfortunate it was that this was what the fallen queen had come to. All the while he had been breaking twig branches and kicking rocks as we went. Honestly he was more annoying than I could have ever imagined. When Evangeline stopped paying attention to his insults, he had turned to Cal. Mocking him about anything he could come up with. My favorite was his question about me, and the possiblity of my pregnancy. Cal had halted in place, and as Maven had passed him, he had shoved him into the thicket he was walking by. I'd snickered and then to add insult to Maven's injury, I'd wrapped my fingers around Cal's wrist and pulled him along, laughing all the while.

Now though, Maven went to grab the knife near his head, only for Cal to yank it out of the wood before him as he passed. Maven glared at his brother, obviously upset about the thicket still because parts of it were still sticking to his pants, and watched Cal slip the knife onto his belt before he stepped up next to Farley. She was crouched down in the bushes, looking through a pair of binoculars to keep watch for the train we were supposed to be catching soon. Maggie arrived a few seconds later, her arms laden with flowers that she had been picking along the way. She'd started a few miles back after seeing a wild flower growing by a tree and hadn't been able to stop. Julian had helped her near the end, and Sara was more than happy to weave them into a flower crown for her while they walked. It kept Maggie from complaining too though, since Julian would point out a new flower every step and tell her it's scientific name before regurgitating everything he knew about it. It kept her from asking if we were there yet, and from whining about how much her feet hurt. I was more than happy with that too, the constant "are we there yets" had gotten annoying around the second mile.

She walked by Evangeline only to back up and hold out a flower to her. A bright yellow weed, it hardly looked like something Evangeline would accept but she proved me wrong. She glanced at Maggie and then smiled softly and accept the single little wild flower and tucking it behind her ear. Maggie seemed to glow with happiness then, and offered her another one before saying, "It's for the baby."

I felt the smile before I could stop it, and then winked as Maggie as she passed. She gave me a sloppy wink in return, and then strolled by Maven. She glared at him, and then stuck her tongue out. The two of them seemed to have a competition going, over who could annoy who more, and this was just another round about to start.

He sneered at her in response, and in turn she threw some of her flowers at him. Sara grabbed her arm then and pulled her passed me, shaking her head. She settled Maggie on a fallen tree and then began to finish the flower crown on Maggie's head whispering, "It's simply not worth it darling."

Maggie frowned and glaring down at her flowers she grumbled, "He's thinking about killing me again though."

"He won't be able to child, you know that." Sara sighed as she pulled Maggie's hair back into the start of a loose braid so that the tail of the crown was weaved into it. I glanced at Maven out of the corner of my eye,, and then at the knife on Cal's belt. No wonder he had made a mad dash for it. Frowning, I slinked toward Cal and crouched down next to him to whisper in his ear, "What is the plan to get on the train?"

He glanced at me then, our breath mixing together we were so close. His lips quirked up slightly in a smile when he saw me glance down at his lips, and I heard the smile in his voice as he replied, "The train will slow as if comes around the bend, it won't stop, but it will slow enough that we will be able to leap on it."

"You want us to jump onto a moving train?" I choked as I looked beyond him at Farley, whose lips simply twisted at my assessment. She put her binoculars down for a moment, and then glancing at me she said, "There is no other way to get on"

"We could have tried to get on at platform or something!" I argued, only for Cal to nudge me and say, "It's a cargo train Mare, not a passenger train, there are no platforms to stop at."

"What about Evangeline?" I whispered carefully, making sure the magnetron didn't hear me. Heaven only knew what she would do to me if she heard me ask that question. I knew that she could handle herself in any situation, but in her… condition… it would be hard to keep up a sprint and then leap on a train. She'd had trouble getting up the small hill we'd had to climb a few hours ago, and it was obvious the effects of that exertion were evident still. Sure enough, Julian was sitting next to her, trying to take her vital signs, and ask how she felt. She looked even more furious at the attention than I thought she would be. She hadn't exactly been happy to know Julian was coming in the first place, and the only person she seemed comfortable around with questions about her pregnancy was Sara.

Cal's eyes flitted to her and then back to mine when he saw her grumble something to Julian. He shrugged and then glancing in the direction Farley was looking he simply said, "She'll be fine."

Before I could argue, I heard a shrill whistle in the distance. Everyone fell to silence, and Farley straightened up, and brushed off her knees before saying, "We have at most five minutes before it's here. We need to head down now."

She grabbed her pack, and slung it over her shoulders, before snapping her head up and looking around wildly after a twig snapped. I froze from rising and then asked, "What was that?"

She held her hand out for silence, and everyone glanced around in surprise trying to determine what it was as well. Cal's eyes narrowed as he looked through the foliage, and my eyes followed his as I tried to see through the bright noon day sun reflecting off of the green around us. Sara grabbed Maggie and slowly lowered her to the ground before crouching down herself. She made a motion for Shade and Evangeline to get down, and Julian wrapped an arm around Evangeline's shoulders before forcing her to the dirt slowly.

"That was too big to be an animal," Farley hissed, before edging toward a small opening in the foliage she was hidden in. She raised her head above it, and next to me, Cal clicked the safety on his gun off. Maven had remained standing and was trying to peer around a tree.

"Don't be so paranoid, it might have been a dee-," Julian began, only for a bullet to slam into the tree next to him. Shade shoved Evangeline all the way into the dirt, in the same second that both Farley and Cal leaped to their feet and fired into the space that the shot had come from. There was a scream of pain as one of them hit their target. But more bullets came in reply to their small victory. Maggie screamed, and I leaped up, pulling my pistol off my belt and pointing it in a hopeful direction and firing. I hit something because there was a scream. Farley hissed as she missed what she was aiming for and then screamed, "Go! Take the girl and Evangeline and go!"

Shade grabbed Evangeline's arm, not needing to be told a second time, and ducking past us with her, he began to help her down the lip and into the tiny ravine below us. Julian followed with Maggie and Sara, his arm wrapped over their heads like that would make a difference if they were shot.

"Go Mare," Cal growled as he fired another shot, hitting a Silk that was sprinting through the trees fifty feet away. They must have snuck up on us when we weren't paying attention, and that infuriated me. We should have known, should have been more careful. I glanced at Maven then, still standing out in the open, like someone would see him-

Suddenly him sticking behind us the whole time made sense, him breaking random twigs on trees as we walked made horrible sense too. My eyes widened in horror as those facts clicked into place, and I reached out to grab him, but he only stepped toward the Silvers and shouted into the trees, "Here! They're here!"

I leaped forward and tackled him to the ground to prevent him from bringing more down on us. He hissed in pain as his arm hit a rock and his skin opened in a gash that spilled blood across the dirt. He rolled and tried to throw me off of him, but I wrapped my am around his neck like Cal had taught me to do, and hissed in his ear, "You lead them to us!"

He let out a furious scream and managed to dislodge me by digging his teeth into my arm. I screamed in pain and let go of him. He tried to scramble up, only for Farley to spin her gun and fire a single shot into his leg. He crumbled to the ground and grabbed at his thigh, screaming bloody murder about it. The bullet must had grazed him deep enough to impair him, because bright silver blood was pumping past his hand. I grabbed him, and started to drag him back toward the edge of the ravine, determined not to let our prized piece be taken from us. Farley turned her gun back to the Silvers who were pushing closer to us, and screamed, "I'm going to kill him!"

Maven was screaming and clutching his thigh when I dropped him in the dirt at our feet, and Cal narrowed his eyes down at him before saying, "Get him on his feet and start going Mare, we'll follow you."

I nodded, deciding against my desire to leave him to bleed out. We needed him, whether we wanted him or not. He knew everything about the court, he had been king, and leaving him to die in the woods was not going to help our cause. We also couldn't leave him to tell the Silvers exactly where we were going. So with a protesting heart, I yanked him to his feet, and got my satisfaction out of the fact that he howled with pain. I draped his arm over my neck, and then began to pick my way down the ravine, with Cal following and Farley right behind him. I heard the train whistle again, and I glanced down the way to see it rushing at us like a monstrous creature blowing heavy clouds of black steam as it went. The others had already started sprinting along the tracks to try and keep pace with it, and I watched as Julian scooped Maggie up in his arms so that she didn't fall behind.

As soon as my boots touched the short dead grass at the bottom of the ravine, I picked up my pace. Maven let out a groan as I forced him to keep up, or risk my pulling his arm out of its socket. Cal fired one last bullet and when the gun clicked, signaling that it was empty, he growled in fury and threw it to the side. Farley tucked her gun away then, and picked up her pace to a sprint to catch up to the others. She passed Cal, and then me, and I felt my stomach tighten as I heard the clicking of the train on the tracks as it caught up to us. There was no way I would be able to keep pace while dragging Maven like this.

The train finally started to pass me, and I grunted as I tried to pick up my pace a little more. Farley leaped onto the third car as it passed, and grabbed onto the side before yanking a lever down, opening the door. Ahead of me, Evangeline had begun to slow down, only for Shade to slow down as well, and scoop her up into his arms. She let out a furious screech only for it to turn into a cry of terror as Shade tossed her into the box. She rolled into it, and Shade leaped after her, before reaching out for Sara's hand. She grabbed onto his wrist, and he yanked her up next to him before reaching out for Maggie. Next to him, Farley had returned and was firing at the Silvers that were following behind us. Julian tossed Maggie to Shade, and then grabbed onto the side himself. Next to me, Cal panted for breath and then spit, "Let me take him, go Mare."

"I got it!" I hissed at him, only for him to grab Maven and then give me a shove forward. I wanted to scream at him, but I dropped my head and started to sprint, opening my stride so that I managed to catch up to the car they were all in. Shade reached out for me, and I glanced ahead at the bend that was starting to end. The train whistled again, and I heard the gears switch as the metal monstrosity began to speed up again.

"Mare!" Shade screamed at me when I glanced over my shoulder at Cal who was falling farther and farther behind with his brother. Behind them, I could see a group of Silver's sprinting to catch them. They were going to get to them before they could get onto the train, I realized in horror. I glanced back at Shade then, and he looked at them too before looking back and me and shaking his head. "Don't do it, Mare don't-"

I didn't even hear him over the roar of blood in my ears as I slowed my pace and began to count the cars. Cal wasn't that far behind me now, and he looked up to watch me slow my pace until I was level with him again, I grabbed Maven's other arm and then shouted, "We'll jump on the back of the train!"

He nodded, and then glanced over my shoulder at the last car which happened to be only the platform that would hold the cargo container. It was flat, and there was more surface area for us to throw Maven onto. As it began to approach, Cal bit his lip and whispered, "We'll be completely exposed to them."

"Well, we'll just have to stop them before they start shooting us, won't we?" I growled as I picked up my pace a little more when the platform came into view. When we were level with it, Cal grunted and both he and I tossed Maven onto it. He followed Maven, and I jumped after him, barely landing onto the back of the platform. My body jerked as it adjusted to the sudden rapid change in speed. I rolled to soften the impact, and then pushed myself onto my hands and knees. Lifting my head up and I smiled at Cal and through my exerted pants, I said, "That was close, we should have had Farley shoot him in the arm instead of the leg."

Cal snorted, and I laughed at my comment. My laughter was cut short though, when someone grabbed my ankle and yanked. I screamed as I almost went flying off the back off the train and onto the tracks. Cal leaped forward and grabbed my arm though, his eyes traveling to whatever was behind me. I looked over my shoulder then, and met the eyes of a Silver I had never seen before. He was sprinting, keeping up with the train, and holding onto my leg. He sneered at us, and then growled, "Where do you think you're going Red?"

I tried to kick at him, but he yanked on my again, almost pulling me out of Cal's grip. I turned my eyes back to Cal and gasped, "Don't let go!"

He narrowed his eyes and then pulled me, but as he did, the Silver let him pull him on as well. Both Cal and I collapsed on the platform, and the Silver scrambled on as well. Behind him, his companions had fallen behind and were standing watching us continue. He gasped for breath, and then pulled out his gun again. I spun myself around and kicked out, knocking the gun out of his hands. It flew through the air, and then clattered against the track behind us. Cal rolled to get out from underneath me, and climbed to his feet before tackling the Silver. They rolled across the platform, and I climbed to my feet, and then whipped my head around looking for Maven. I saw him climbing up on top of the box behind us, using the ladder on the side to try and make his way to the others. My eyes narrowed and I sprinted to the ladder to follow him before he got there and tried to hurt any of them.

My hair whipped around my head, as I reached out for the ladder and stepped onto the first rung. I was completely exposed on the side of the box, and I clutched at the rungs desperately as I looked down at the tracks below me which were racing by faster than anything I had ever seen. The train whistled again, and I looked up to see Maven at the top of the box, pulling himself up. I swallowed my panic then, and grabbed the next rung and pulled myself up. Maven glanced at me over the lip of the box and then sneered and disappeared. I glanced at Cal then, wondering what was taking so long for him to follow me. He and the Silver we back on their feet again, sparring in hand to hand combat. I watched for a few seconds before grabbing the next rung and pulling myself up again. There was a grunt, and I looked over my shoulder once more to see the Silver kick Cal across the face and send him sprawling on the ground. He laughed as Cal tried to get up, and then drove his foot into his stomach before deciding he had done all he needed to do. He looked over his shoulder for me then, and when he saw me, clinging to the side of the box, his lips pulled up into a wicked grin.

I scrambled to grab the next rung of the ladder then, and continued to climb. He howled with laughter upon seeing that and then said, "You can't run forever little lightening girl, the train ends eventually!"

He approached the ladder himself, and then looked up at me from the side as he sneered and latched on himself. I kicked at him then, trying to get him to let go, but he merely swatted my foot aside again. Deciding against trying to fight him here, I pulled myself up on top of the box. The wind up here was a hundred times worse, and I pushed my hair out of my face and squinted through the worst of it to find Maven. I saw him a few cars ahead of me, sprinting and leaping from one car to the next.

"Maven!" I screamed in fury, and then scrambled to my feet and started after him. He glanced over his shoulder, as if to see if I was following, and then sneered when he saw me. I sprinted after him, my boots pounding on the box as I tried to catch up. I had always considered myself fast when I was running in the Stilts, but this was another matter entirely. I leaped from one car to the next, feeling the wind catch my jacket as I did so. My pack was weighing me down, and I knew it, but I couldn't drop it. It carried enough food for me and Cal, and enough for Maggie too if we cut our portions out. I could not drop that, even if I wanted to.

The Silver was not far behind me, and I squeezed my hands into fists as I opened my stride a little more and pushed my body as hard as it would go. My heart pounded erratically in my ears, and my breathing was even louder as I leaped from one car to the next. Eventually, the Silver caught up to me though, and tackled me. We rolled for a few steps until we lost momentum. He wrapped his arms around me to try and pin me down, and I let out a furious scream before grabbing his wrists and pushing an electric current through my hands. He let go immediately, howling as he stumbled back. I kicked my legs underneath me and then arched my back to put myself back on my feet. He backed a step away from me then, and shouted over the wind, "Nowhere to go now, little girl."

I bared my teeth at him, and then launched into a set of kicks and punches to push him back. At this point, he was the greater threat. He blocked my moves easily though, and even got a few hits of his own in. He wasn't going to play fair either, because the minute he had a chance to, grabbed me by my pack and threw me. I screamed as I almost went off the side of the train. I flailed through the air for a second and barely managing to grab onto the top of the cargo box as I dangled over the edge. Below me, the wheels screamed as they passed over the tracks, and I looked up as the Silver glanced down at me, his eyes winking with malice as he said, "How unfortunate, the little lightning girl dies crushed under the wheels of a train."

I sneered and swung my legs to try and get back on top of the train. My heel caught and then slipped, and the sudden shift in moment threw me back the other direction, causing one of my hands to slip off, leaving me only dangling by one. I gasped as I looked down again, at the rocks that paralleled the track. I was either going to die impaled on one of those, or by being sucked under the wheels. I tried to grab on with my other arm, but the Silver laughed as he kicked at that hand, leaving me dangling with one hand. He let out a roar of laughter at his game, and I narrowed my eyes at that. So he thought he had the high ground? I would show him high ground.

Letting out a scream of fury, I gathered a ball of sparks in my hand and threw it at him. It hit him square in the chest and he screamed in agony before stumbling back from the edge. His retreat gave me time to pull myself back up onto the train. When he saw me stumbling up to my feet, he roared and charged, apparently not fond of losing like this. I sneered at him then, and spun in a back heel kick that caught him across the jaw and sent him reeling. He stumbled backward, and then cried out as he teetered on the edge of the box. I watched as he fell, and then sprinted to the edge of the box to make sure he had fallen off completely. When I looked over though, he was clinging to an exposed handrail. I hissed in annoyance at the fact that nothing was ever easy. He glanced up at me then, with a look of triumph as he went to grab another piece of metal and pull himself up. I huffed in disgust at that and then said, "How unfortunate, the Silver dies crushed under the wheels of a train."

He frowned at those words, and I smiled as I gathered up another ball of sparks in my hand. His eyes widened and he went to scream at me to stop, but it was too late. The sparks hit him directly in the chest, and he screamed in agony as his body spasmed and he let go of the railing. I turned away before I could see his true death, and collapsed to my hands and knees, clutching my stomach which wanted to lose everything I had had for breakfast. That had been cruel, terribly cruel to say that before killing him. I'd sounded like every single person I hated when I'd done that. My insides twisted and I was almost sick all over myself.

I heard another pair of boots approaching from behind, and flipping around I lit my hands with sparks, only to face Cal, instead of another member of the legion. We both froze, me, because I was surprised to see him, and him, because I had almost just shocked him into oblivion. I doused the sparks though, and then clambered to my feet and threw my arms around his neck. He wrapped his arms around me then, and whispered into my hair, "It's okay, we're okay."

I buried my head in his shoulder for a moment, taking in the scent of burning pine. No matter where we were, or how long we lived in musty caves, he still always smelled like that. That scent was the only thing that kept me anchored in that moment, and I couldn't have spent an eternity wrapped in his arms like this. Apparently, eternity had other plans though.

"Where's Maven?" He asked hesitantly, and I flipped around to look for his brother, but there was no sign of him on top of the train. For a moment, we were both silent, and then we saw Shade climb on top of the car he and the others were in. The three of us looked at each other for a moment, a whole three cars separating us. From this distance though, I could see him smiling broadly before he cupped his hands to him mouth and shouted, "You two need an invitation or something to join us?"

Cal snorted at the terrible excuse for a joke, and I shook my head before saying, "I assume they're handling him."

"We better hurry then, before Farley kills him for what he did." Cal growled before starting in Shade's direction. I hurried after him, before grabbing his hand to stop him. He glanced back at me, and I took a step closer until I was almost pressed against his chest and said breathlessly, "I love you."

He raised his brow in confusion, wondering why I had chosen now to say that, before he replied, "I love you too." He sounded sincere, but I only heard the confusion in his voice as he spoke the words that would normally make me smile. I wouldn't get to hear him say them much longer, and almost falling off the train had shown me how easily I could never hear them again.

"I just… I just wanted you to say it, because I won't always be able to." I whispered, the wind almost carrying the words away from me. His eyes darkened with understanding then, and his lips pulled into a tight line as he wrapped his arm around my hip and pulled me into his chest. I buried my face in his shoulder once more, and over the wind, I heard him whisper, "I know."

 _ **A/N**_

 _ **Alright, yeah, on our way to Trial, woot, woot. And no, I couldn't resist Maven being an asshat, not to worry, the gang does get a little bit of revenge later on. Next chapter won't be so much action, as it is character exploration. We'll have an Eve POV since the poor dear hasn't had one in a while, and we should have a Cal POV real soon, possibly next chapter with Eve's POV or the chapter after that.**_

 _ **Also, thank you so much for all the kind reviews you guys, that was so sweet of all of you. And I apologize, cause honestly, I sort of stepped over the line with demanding them. I can't tell you how much they meant though, especially to see how many of you really do care about this story and these characters. (: I hope to see you guys in the next chapter as well.**_

 _ **Question time:**_

 _ **Alright ya'll, I need baby names (: Give me your best baby boy or baby girl name. My beta and I are flipping a coin over the Evanshade baby gender and I'm pulling a name out of a hat. (:**_


	6. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

(/Evangeline/)

"Now let's go over this one more time. You haven't felt anything unusual?" Julian asked as he flipped through his little notebook, which was already filled with little notes and questions that he been planning. I sighed through my nose and then growled, "Besides the fact that there is an extra ten pounds between my hips?"

He glanced up from his notes and then asked, "Does it feel abnormal though? For example, do you feel all the weight on one side?"

"I feel the weight everywhere. I feel it in my knees, in my back, in my stomach, I feel it everywhere!" I practically shouted as I pushed off of the sack of potatoes I had been leaning against while I was enduring this interrogation. These question sets were miserable, and over and over again I wanted to kicked Julian's teeth out. I didn't want to talk about this anymore than I had to, and I didn't want to think about it anymore than I wanted.

"Evangeline please, I know this is hard for you, but we need to get through these questions." He tried to say softly as he watched me take a few steps toward the others who were sitting in a ring around the makeshift fire Cal had started to heat our dinner.

I glared at him to silence him, and then continued over to the circle, trying to keep from falling as the train rocked back and forth underneath me. Outside of the open side door, the Nortian country side flew by us. Dark green trees that were blooming with bright flowers, and rolling countryside that I had fallen in love with as a child. I missed it, and even more so now that I was seeing it with so many damn hormones rushing through my body. Damn this whole things, damn Elara for lying and putting me in the situation. She must have suspected that I would be unfaithful to her son, and in response, had made sure that there would be obvious evidence if I was. She had been the ultimate puppet master, no one in court had stood a chance against her.

I sank down next to Shade, slowly wrapping my arms around his as I laid my head on his shoulder. He glanced down at me, and then smiled and pressed a light kiss to my hairline. I had swung from irritated to desperate in the span of a few hours, but he didn't seem to mind. I did though. This wasn't me, well not necessarily. I felt so different, so unusual, so unlike myself. I wasn't the same, I felt impossible different. Sara had assured me it was completely normal to feel that way. My other instincts would be kicking in, I would be more protective, more determined to have Shade around. After I had balked at that, she had said that it was part of evolution, that in the past, our ancestors had needed their male counter parts to protect them during the time that they were pregnant. It was completely normal that I would cling to him and be extremely paranoid when he wasn't around. It wasn't like I was about to mention that to him though, because Heaven forbid, Shade Barrow found out I was desperate to have him around at all times of the day until I gave birth.

Across from me, Farley was telling a story from her childhood, about how she and one of her friends had wandered too far off of her farm, and had run into a serious bout of trouble. Maggie was slurping up the last of her soup while Sara urged her to go slower, and Mare was staring out at the countryside. Cal had gotten up a few minutes ago to check on the makeshift splint that had had tied on Maven's leg hours ago. He had refused to let Sara help him, even though Sara hadn't really been about to offer her assistance.

There was a howl of pain from the other cargo hold that was connect to this one, and everyone glanced over. Maggie snickered softly and then said, "He's such a baby. Cal didn't even do anything."

"Don't be spiteful, it's not nice, no matter who you are speaking of." Sara rebuked as she glared down at Maggie who dropped her smile immediately. Mare frowned though as she set her bowl down and said, "I'm going to go check on that."

I watched her carefully as she got up and slowly made her way to the door that connected the two cargo containers. Grabbing the wheel on the door, she turned it to remove the lock. With a hard yank, she pulled open the heavy metal door, and in response we all heard the string of curse words and choice phases that Maven was spitting at his brother. Mare rolled her eyes at the sound, and then closed the door behind her.

Shade watched the door for a few seconds and then turned back to the fire and said, "I do not want to know what is about to happen in that room."

"If she's smart, she'll beat his ass and leave him to bleed." I grumbled, earning a look from Maggie who said, "Why does Evangeline get to make mean comments but I don't!"

"Because Evangeline's pregnant, and pregnant women get to do whatever they want-" Shade broke off in a gasp of pain as I pinched him at the pressure point in his neck. He tried to reach back and claw at my hand, so I simply shifted my hand to a new point, and he stiffened in surprise to the sudden paralyzed feeling. I frowned as I glared down at him and said, "Do you want to finish that statement?"

His eyes flashed to mine, and held my gaze for a moment before I released him. He sighed in relief and then reached back and massaged his neck. When I glanced back at the fire then, and reached forward for a bowl, I saw Maggie staring at me with wide eyes, an expression of complete awe on her face. I pulled back for a second, completely unsure as to why she was looking at me like that.

"Teach me how to do that!" She shrieked as she climbed away from Sara and skirted around the fire like she was dancing. She sat down next to me and then said again, "Show me, show me, show me!"

I frowned and reaching for a bowl again I said, "Things like that are advanced combat techniques to disarm and potentially paralyze your enemy. It's not safe for you to learn that and then go playing around with it. You might hurt someone."

She frowned and then creeping underneath my outstretched arm, she slipped in front of me and argued, "I can control people with my mind, and you think I can't handle something like that?"

I tensed in surprise at the look of condemnation on her face. Her lips were pursed tightly, and her eyes were narrowed in serious disapproval. It was strange that she could now meet my eye when she talked like this, instead of awkwardly looking over my shoulder because she thought that was where my eyes were. I blinked stupidly for a second, chiding myself on the fact that I had said something like that. She was right, she carried the deadliest ability of all of us. Who was I to question her ability to manage something deadly?

Everyone was watching me curiously, and it was then that I blinked and saw her narrow her eyes further as she whispered in my head, _I want to be able to fight when I can't use this. I don't like to do this all the time._

I shook myself out and then glaring at her I said, "It's rude to talk inside people's heads."

"Mare says it's not when I do it for a reason." She said cryptically before getting up and going back over to Sara who watched her curiously. I tried to keep from being too upset with this child, she was after all only a child. I could remember back when I was her age and I would use my ability at times that I figured were appropriate. Shade glances between the two of us for a moment before saying casually, "I'm sure it wouldn't hurt to teach her Evangeline. Maggie has handled worse before."

I glance back at her, and see that she's taken a much deeper interest in Sara who is tracing the lines of the little girls palms slowly. I watch them for a moment, and then Maggie turns, her golden curls swaying and brushing over her shoulder. My heart squeezes, and I instinctually reach down to touch the bump that's hidden under my shirt. Four months was a long time to keep something like this to myself. The future was before me now though, an expanse of unknown nature. Who know if I would be a good mother, or even alive for that matter, a few years from now. I didn't even know if this baby would be alive when it was born. It hadn't so much as shifted yet, and even thought Julian had tried to hide the sideways glance he had thrown at me, I'd seen it. I'd been around enough women in my life who had had children to know that that was not a good thing. The baby should have moved by now, should have shown some sign that it was alive. Without the proper technology though, we wouldn't be able to tell if anything was wrong.

Shade caught my subtle movement and with a soft smile he leaned closet to whisper, "Whatever comes."

I nod carefully before looking out at the vast rolling hills that fly by us. It really was beautiful out here, with no really cities, only small villages. I could imagine a sprawling estate out here, with orchard trees, and a beautiful garden. I couldn't imagine Shade in that life though, I couldn't imagine him in pressed clothing, with his hair slicked back and his hands in his coat pockets. I could only see him in dirty fatigues, with a chipped cup of coffee, trying to stay awake for his midnight shift. I wouldn't have him any other way either.

"It hasn't moved yet." I whisper gently, trying to express the truth in the softest way possible. His fingertips brush over my hand softly, like he can't bring himself to touch the place where our baby rests, and he teases lightly, "Maybe it's just shy. It must know that the minute it moves, everyone's going to want to feel that. It's like you in that it doesn't like people crowding around it to goggle at it like some animal in a zoo."

I smirk at that comment and then turn to rest my forehead against his own softly. "Maybe," Is all I say to him as I drop my eyes down to my hand. I can feel a majority of the weight resting to the side and rub that spot absentmindedly. Maybe I can urge it to move by doing that, but after a few seconds of nothing, I purse my lips and then stop. Maybe Shade was right, and it was just shy. Unborn babies didn't even know what being shy meant though.

The door into the car opens again, and both Mare and Cal come back in. Cal with a sour look on his face, like he just swallowed a fresh lemon, and Mare with a scowl. Whatever Maven had said, it had struck a chord with both of them. Cal goes over to his bag and digs around before coming out with an extra bowl and spoon. He pours some of the soup out of the pot, and then stalks back into the other cargo box to give Maven his dinner. I watch him the whole time, my eyes trained on his every move like a cat. Mare crosses behind us and then glancing at me, and seeing my eyes on Cal, she says, "Everything alright Evangeline?"

I turn my head back to her, pulling my eyes off of Cal as he disappears through the door again. Mare watches me very carefully, no doubt trying to read me, I simply narrow my eyes and reply, "You should have left him to die. He hasn't bothered to tell you anything, and at the moment he's a liability."

"Command has deemed him important enough for now," Farley replies coolly, before glaring at Mare and saying, "But if he pulls another stunt like that again, I will order Shade to take him to the highest cliff he can think off, and drop him off of it."

"Why do I have to be the one to do it?" Shade accuses, before glaring at Farley who purses her lips tightly. Mare huffs and then looks at me again before saying, "If Maven tries anything again, I will be the one to kill him. He had been planning that escape for a while. After we got off the carts in the last village, he managed to get the attention of the soldiers stationed in the market, and like the smart men they were, they contacted reinforcements and then followed us."

"Sly little creature," Sara murmurs as she begins to plait Maggie's hair again. The little girl looks deeply troubled though as she says, "But I didn't hear his thoughts about that. I was watching him the whole time Mare, honest!"

"I'm sure you were, but Maven's mother was a whisperer Maggie, I wouldn't be surprised if he knows a few tricks to keep things from you." Mare replies before continuing to the back of the cargo box where our sleeping rolls are. Farley glances at her and then asks, "Then how are we supposed to know when he's going to try something?"

Mare didn't respond as she kept her back to us. I tried not to bite at her for that, but she was being insufferable. No one else seemed that put off by her comment though, so I swallowed my retort completely. Shade leaned back and tapping his fingers on his knee, he says, "Those cuffs didn't do much on the boat either."

Shade had told me about how on the trip over, Maven had managed to get the silencer cuffs so mangled that they were practically useless because they were suffocating his hands. They had been a useless scrap of metal after that, so Farley had tossed them overboard, and ordered Maggie to keep a close eye on his thoughts at all times. Someone had to stay up with him while everyone else slept, and someone had to be with him at all times no matter what. Shade had told me it was by far the worst duty of the trip, simply because Maven's tongue was sharper than his fighting skills, and he seemed to know exactly how to pick at each and everyone one of us. The only person he hadn't truly gone after yet was Mare. There was probably a reason for that too. Any possible comment about her was always directed at Cal with a snide remark to go with it. If he was trying to separate her from the pack though, he would have a hard time doing that, considering that she was practically glued to Cal's side. But, if there was one thing I had seen bother him in the time that he had been with us, it was that.

Farley watched Mare's back for a few seconds before narrowing her eyes and hissing, "Barrow, I hope you know what you're doing with him."

Mare barely glances at everyone over her shoulder, before turning her head back and unpacking the blankets for her sleeping roll. After that, there is silence, only broken by the soft crackle of the fire, and someone shifting. Julian joins our circle again near Sara, and everyone falls into an uneasy silence. I watch Mare's back as she slowly rolls out her bedroll and then sinks into it. It's too early for anyone to be going to sleep, but Mare seems to have decided that it was time.

Sara ushered a protesting Maggie to her feet and guided her over to the bed. She urged the little girl into the sleeping roll and then sat with her while she waited for her to go to sleep. I watched the whole thing with critical eyes, looking at the angle that Sara stroked Maggie's hair at, since it seemed to be a magic touch that calmed children. I would need that someday, if everything went well.

After a few minutes, Julian spoke softly, "We're lucky that we didn't get caught, they will follow this train, and they might be waiting for us at the depot when we get off."

Farley dumped her soup onto the fire, extinguishing it and leaving us in darkness. "I suppose it's a good thing we're not getting off at the depot then."

I heard her rise in the dark and go to her own sleeping roll before getting up myself. Shade didn't immediately follow, one of the few things I loved that he did. He didn't try and coddle me all the time, and I was immensely grateful for that. At the moment, I definitely didn't want it either. I curled up under the covers of my sleeping roll, and when I was certain that I was not being watched, I set my hand on my stomach, desperate to feel something moving inside of it.

I stayed like that for a few minutes, wondering if it was for the better that I didn't have the baby. I was barely twenty years old, unmarried, and without my own mother to show me how to handle the whole process. I might as well have been marooned on a desert island. Sara might have been of assistance, but she couldn't help me like my mother, she had had no children of her own anyway. At the thought of the loneliness that was starting to grow like a seed in my belly alongside my baby, I felt a hot tear roll down my cheek. I wiped at it furiously, damn hormones, damn pregnancy, damn everything, I thought bitterly.

A few minutes later, I felt the blankets shift and Shade joined me, rather hesitantly. He pressed his back against mine softly then, a silent showing of his presence, and also a silent question of permission. We hadn't discussed what we were now, other than the fact that we were together again. What were we going to do? I hadn't bothered to tell his parents on Tuck in case something happened and the baby ended up not being an option anymore, but now I was regretting that. What if we came back from the Lakelands with a baby? What would they think?

My stomach twisted into knots at that though, and I squeezed my eyes tightly against the panic rising in my chest. What was I going to do? This went against everything, every instinct, every logical decision in my life. I wasn't even married to Shade, let alone engaged, and now I was pregnant in the middle of a war where my child's father could die at any possible second. What was I supposed to do?

In the middle of my frantic thoughts, I got a sharp punch to my side. I sat bolt upright, my hand flying to my stomach and the spot where I had felt that movement. It must have been hours since we'd all gone to bed, because Farley was snoring softly, and Maggie was curled up, murmuring as she dreamed. Mare's sleeping roll was empty though.

Shade sat upright only a heartbeat after me, his hand reaching out to me, to see if I needed him. I grabbed it instantly, squeezing tightly as I waited to feel that movement again. I was worried I'd just imagined it, and that my panicked mind was only playing nasty tricks on me. A few seconds later though, there was another movement, small but definitely there. My breath left is a rushed gasp that bordered in a sob. It was moving, the baby was moving.

"Evangeline, is everything okay?" Shade's voice was a whisper, barely even a breath as he spoke. I nodded quickly, my eyes spilling over with tears as my panic was washed away and replaced with something else. My chest felt like it was swelling with light, and for a moment, I thought it was leaking out of me. Squeezing Shade's hand one more time, I whispered, "I felt it kick. The baby kicked."

He stilled in surprise, before a tiny smile crept up to his lips. It didn't entirely reach his eyes though, apparently I wasn't the only one worrying about the future then. He pressed the lightest of kisses against my knuckles and whispered, "I told you, it's just shy."

He pulled me down into the blankets with him, and without hesitating, I curled up against his side, letting him wrap an arm around my shoulders to keep me close. With a soft sigh of relief, Shade pressed a light kiss against my hairline. I closed my eyes at the touch, his relief washing over me as we both came to what seemed to be a mutual conclusion about the state of our affairs. We would talk it over, and we would know what the other wanted tomorrow morning. Our baby was a reality now, one that we couldn't avoid, and one that I wasn't sure I wanted to avoid anymore.

(/Cal/)

The rolling hills of the untouched land rushed by the train as we sped toward the border between Norta and the Lakelands. There was no telling what would happen when we got there either, we might not even make it across without getting caught. My stomach tightened upon that thought as I glanced back at our little party. My eyes feel on Evangeline and Shade first, the two of them curled around each other, providing silent support in a world where they had been set adrift. If we were caught, there was no telling what Samson would do to Evangeline or her baby. He might kill it, or worse, take it from her. I wouldn't wish that on Evangeline, I wouldn't wish it on anyone actually.

Mare stirred in the bed, and then shifted and rolled to face me, her eyes open and her alert as she took me in by the open box car door. I gave her a weak smile, hoping to soothe her and urge her back to sleep. Instead, she pushed the blankets back and trotted across the floor to me. The wheels churned underneath us, and we stood in silence until I shifted and opened my legs for her to slide into my lap. She sank down and then scooted backwards until her back was pressed against my chest and the two of us were looking out at the rolling landscape together.

"It's nothing but farms out here." She whispered. I nodded in response and then threaded my fingers through hers, I rest y chin on her head. We watch the country side for a few more minutes in silence. The silver moonlight shines like glass on the dark shadows as we pass them, leaving them behind us for an undetermined amount of time. Who knows when we will see these rolling plains, or dense forests again? The Lakelands may become our permanent home if we did not manage to get the support we needed to return and overthrow Samson. Even then, we might not ever be able to make if back.

"We could do it."

Mare's voice is a whisper that the wind rips away as it rushes by us. I almost don't hear her either, but I know she's spoken, and that the topic she's thinking about is costly to her. Her shoulders always tense the slightest but when she decides to discuss things that make her nervous, and she always inhales sharply before saying anything like that. It was the little things I noticed about her that made me realize how much I loved her. The way she always slept on her side, the way she always ate her meal in a square, starting on one side and moving around, taking one bite at a time from each corner, and even the way she stared into space while she brushed her hair. It was the little things she did that made me fall in love a little more every second.

"Do what?" I asked as I turned her hand over to look at her palm. She shrugged in response and then breathed, "Live out here, forget all of it, and just hide away. There's enough space that we could… we could do it."

I chuckle softly, running my thumb along the pad of her palm. "I suppose so, but what would we do exactly, you and I are very limited in skill sets."

"We could learn to farm." She supplies with a snort, and her comment earns a smile out of me. I couldn't imagine the two of us doing that, couldn't really imagine going out every day and digging holes in the ground with her, planting trees and whatever else people did on farms. I was perfectly content with getting my hands dirty, I'd never exactly been one to shy away from that, but I'd never pictured myself farming. I suppose it wouldn't have been bad though. We could squeak out a living, we could do it, I supposed. I could see the small house in the middle of an apple orchard, with a single dirt road leading up to it. In hindsight it was dumb, absolutely stupid to think about, simply because it was an impossibility. I would take the crown, it had been decided from the beginning, and I would help Farley build the world we all so desperately needed.

"It would be a good place to be though," Mare whispered, "No responsibilities except the ones we deem important, no more generals and soldiers, no more rations and politics, just…us. And whatever else we decide we… want." I watched her glance at Evangeline for a fraction of a second before looking away quickly. It was a silent invitation for me to muse on the thought as well. I couldn't help it either, my own eyes remained locked on Shade and Evangeline, the former snoring softly with his body wrapped around hers so that she was protected from anything and anyone. I could imagine that, I could imagine a little bed in a farm house, and the soft pitter patter of little feet trying to run around the house in the early hours of the morning, leading the way with streams of giggles. They'd all look like Mare, I decided in that moment. I didn't want to see my features on their faces, because in the end, I would see my little brother. Or rather, I would see the little brother I had thought I had. I wasn't sure I would be able to handle that.

"Of course," I whispered in reply, pressing a light kiss on her head. She shifted again and then whispered, "And we'd have a pond, with fish, and Kilorn… Kilorn could come over whenever he wanted and fish there. And Chelsea, Torin, Oscar, Isabelle, and baby Gabrielle could come and stay whenever they want."

I laugh softly at that, imagining a tiny farm house filled with people, laughter and light. It would be so different from where we all are now. Mare and I both fall to silence then, lost in our dreams of a future that might never exist. It could though, it really could if I could only step away from the crown, away from everything. I had told her before that I would chose her, that I would always chose her. In the end though, I knew when it came down to it, I would pick the crown, simply to prevent another Maven or Samson from stepping up to it and wrecking more havoc on the country. We were trying to prevent the country from descending into civil war, but it was too late, we'd tipped the balance, and sent our country to the brink of war.

"We could just be normal." She murmured. The wind from the train stirs the soft hairs on her head and she turns to look up at me to hear my response. I tuck her hair behind her ear in response and then press a light kiss on her forehead. "Of course, we'd be normal."

She lays back into my then, her head coming to rest on the point where my shoulder and collarbone meet. We sit in silence for a while longer, the two of us just enjoying the cool breeze and the soft silence. Over time though, that silence gets heavier until it's a weight, wrapped around our ankles, dragging us down. I hug her tighter in response to the sinking feeling in my stomach. When I looked down though, she's asleep, her eyelids fluttering softly. I smile softly at that and then shift so that I'm facing the inside of the car instead of the opening. With a few swift movements, I sweep her up into my arms and carry her over to the bed roll. She barely stirs in my arms as I set her down and cover her with the blankets. She'll sleep for a while hopefully, and I promise myself that I'll join her soon.

Turning away from the bed, I cross the car again and unlock the door that leads to Maven's area. We had put him there for a reason, namely so that Evangeline didn't try to rip his head off, but also so that he was isolated from everyone else. Turning the heavy handle, I swing open the door that grinds on its wheels. The sound seems magnified in the silence around me, and I glance over my shoulder to make sure no one is woken up by the sound. Farley simply rolls over at the sound, and Mare huffs softly before curling up into a tight ball. Pulling the door open I step inside and shut it behind me. A single lamp swings in the corner with the rock of the train, and Maven is huddled by it, his eyes watching the light flicker over and over again.

He knows I'm here, he knows that only Mare and I visit him in here. His eyes glance at me momentarily and he smirks before looking back at the light. "Come for a little chat again brother?"

"The serum, was there any more of it?" I ask carefully, remembering the pain of it shoot through my veins. It had felt like ice creeping along my nerves, dousing my fire and smothering me in cold. I wouldn't wish that pain on any New Blood, ever. The hours I had spent in the cell after that had been torturous, just waiting for death come and take me already. When Mare had held me, I had thought I was actually dead. I'd thought that the two of us were alone in whatever in between there was between death and life. I'd thought that I'd died and this was my last chance to see her. I didn't believe in a God necessarily, or even so much as an afterlife. Both notions were pointless to speculate on in my opinion, simply because there was no evidence for either of them.

Maven's head tilted to the side at my question and with a shrug he replied casually, "OF coruse there was, I have no idea where it is now though."

"What do you mean you have no idea where it is?"

"I mean that I don't know where it is. Have you become even more stupid since the last time we spoke?" Maven asked with a raised brow, his eyes shining in the low light. I inhaled slowly to keep from storming across the space between us and grabbing his by the throat to throttle him. If he wanted to play these games, we would play them, but he would not get to play by his rules.

"I'm sure being in your presense has dropped my IQ somewhat, but that's beside the point. You will tell me-"

"What will happen to Mare when you take the throne again?"

I froze in surprise at his interjection, my threat dying on my lips as he began to drum his fingers on his leg. He tilted his head to the side again, and raised his brow in question when I didn't respond. We stood in silence then, but we did so for every different reasons. What did he want with that information, it shouldn't matter to him, as far as he was concerned? He would be dead before I so much as put a foot on that dais for the coronation. He would never get to see that ceremony, he would not the good that hopefully came after it, and he would not get to see the fate of this country. He would die a bloody death and he would die a bitter man.

"What happens to Mare-"

"Is all of my concern. See, I've put a lot of thought into this brother. You're a fantastic general because you know how to sit down, shut up, and take orders like the good little solider you are. What happens when you have to be King though, and there's no one to give you orders?"

His smirk draws a growl of irritation from me and I whisper dangerously, "Don't mock me, remember whose custody you're in."

With another bored shrug Maven scratches at a dried blood stain on his pants, his disinterest almost composure shredding. It takes multiple deep breaths to force myself to remain composed when I say, "Mare will make her decision, but I've made mine."

"Ah yes, you'll be the once and future king of Norta, you'll lead these people to a glorious future, and you'll step all over the Silver's toes to make the Red's happy." Maven snickers at the mental image he has and then continues, "But you'll lose your precious Mare. You'll lose the love of your life if you take that crown. You know that Cal. You can't have both of them, but you're trying so hard to shove them together, aren't you?"

"What I do when I become king is none of your concern." I growled threateningly before crossing the room to stand above him. I'm in danger of reaching down and dragging him out to throw him off the train. I crouch down slowly until I'm eye level with him and then whisper softly, "At this point, you have no power Maven. You have no more schemes to play."

Maven's brow raises in a practiced maneuver and he smiles darkly before leaning forward and breathing, "Oh brother, I'm just getting started."

I clench my fists and then slowly stand again. HE watches me with a spark of dark pleasure behind his eyes. He knows that I hate these words games, hate the games he plays. There's a reason he would have been a better king than me, and the reason resides in this very moment. I could never handle myself in a situation like this, my temper got the better of me before I could so much as think through a better plan. I hate that I know that too, and I never try to change it. The truth is that I can't bring myself to though, I don't know how to.

"When will you realize that you are possibly ruining your own life, Cal? If you just let the damn crown go, you and Mare could prance off into the sunset on that damn metal contraption of yours and find some ramshackle house where the two of you can breed like two dogs in alley way." Maven smirked and then laughed at his analogy. Shaking his head, he grinned up and me, and the shadows fell across his face, making the angles of his cheeks sharper. "Unless the two of you already have, and Evangeline isn't the only one who's… impaired."

I flipped around and wrapped my hand around his throat before dragging him toward the wall and slamming his back against it. He gasped in pain as I slowly lifted him up so that his feet were barely dangling off the ground, and tries to grab at my wrist and squeeze to loosen my grip. I leaned toward him then and spit, "Mare and I have never done something like that. We are thinking about the future unlike your pathetic twelve-year-old mind that can't get itself out of puberty. So I suggest, that you stop making comments like that before I squeeze your throat so tightly that your windpipe breaks and you never speak again."

He gasped for air around my fingers and then hissing in pain, he chokes, "You're trying to hide your feelings Cal," he tried to inhale around my grip, "You're trying to hide what you want to do. That's not very healthy."

I squeeze for a moment more, and then slowly let him drop down to the floor of the car. He reaches up to massage his throat and I turn away and start toward the door. I tried not to think about the truth behind his words, and what they meant. I tried not think about the things he had said, but they still pecked at my mind. Maybe I was starting to go crazy, maybe Mare and I had made a mistake and backed ourselves into a corner. Maybe the only way out wasn't the crown. I glanced back at the door, picturing her lying there in the sheets, waiting even in dreams for me to come and lie next to her. I wasn't sure if I should join her though. If I would one day lie in a bed without of her, what was the point of lying one now?

Maven sighed behind me, the sound drawing my eye as he smiled like we were sharing a secret and then whispered, "Of course, whatever you do is your decision brother. Who am I to say anything?"

I stood frozen then, his fiery irises completely different from my own, but missing none of the fire I had. I shouldn't have been affected by his words, but I was. I shouldn't listen, but I couldn't help but do just that. Turning away from him with his words eating at my own thoughts, I left the car. His soft chuckle followed me all the way back to the sleeping roll I shared with Mare. Once there, I slipped into the blankets and wrapped my arms around her, pulling her back to my chest. She murmured in her sleep, and then set her hand softly on my forearm.

I didn't sleep though, I simply watched the shadow of the moonlight pass across the back wall, until there was nothing but predawn light. All the while, I kept turning over Maven's words. The crown for a kingdom united in peace, a girl with a storm under her skin for a life of happiness. Did one out weigh the other? As a man of duty, I wanted to say yes, the kingdom before my own happiness, but as a man of heart, I couldn't bear to let the happiness that was snoring softly in my arms go.

A/N

Sorry this took so long guys. Some things happened in my life, namely I got diagnosed with depression, and my life got super busy. Also I don't have King's Cage yet, so no spoiling in the comments! (be good children XD) I plan to keep writing though, I'm not gonna stop now, I know a lot of people are stopping their fics because of Kings Cage, but I plan to follow this through. I've been writing this trilogy for almost two years now, no way I'm gonna stop now. Alright so that's the update.

Question Time:  
How's my Maven? Is he holding up to the actual character. I just really want him to be this word smith that destroys everyone. XD


	7. Chapter 5

_(/ **Mare** /)_

I launched into a brief set of jabs at Shade, forcing him toward the back wall of the train car. He dodged them artfully, and when he dropped into a crouch to sweep his leg and take my feet out from underneath me, I leaped over that. I landed gracefully on my toes and then pushed him back further. He changed his angle slightly though, and after that, we were fighting along the wall, which mean I could only swing with my weak left side. That was painfully obviously in this position too. I tried to take a step to the side but he pinned me back with a quick punch that I deflected.

"Have you and Evangeline talked about everything?" I asked, my breath coming in pants as I dodged his next punch. He chuckled softly, the sound lost in his own heavy breathing. "I don't know, have you and _Cal_ talked about everything?"

"Touché." I replied as I blocked his kick and then somersaulted out into the open. He followed quickly, pushing me toward the open box car door. We'd opened it to allow fresh air, and a cool breeze in while we were fighting. I danced along the edge of the doorframe for a moment before side stepping again to find space. He smiled at me and then said, "You two need to figure that out soon."

"I would say the same to you." I grunted as he slipped inside my defenses. Growling I spun out of my position, and then dropped and came up behind him, placing a hand to his back and delivering a soft shock. He yelped at the sensation, and then stumbled forward. I smirked at that and then crossing my arms I said, "Besides, we'll talk about it when we're ready."

He glanced back at me and then shrugged and sank down against the wall to rest. Apparently the use of my ability had been forgiven and forgotten. He looked up at me from his position and then asked hesitantly, "What do you want out of that conversation Mare?"

I raised my brow and then shrugging as well, I glanced out at the rolling land. It was beautiful in spring, covered in gorgeous trees and thick forests. I hadn't lied when I said I could imagine living out here. "I'm not entirely sure."

He frowned at that response and then leaning his head back against the wall to look up at the roof of the car, he asked, "So you are just going to ignore it until it becomes an even bigger problem?"

Trying not show how much his question bothered me, I turned to grab a drink of water. He watched me carefully though, that brotherly concern that he had always had still present, even after all this time. It feels like it's been forever since we were just two kids in the Stilts, hiding out in abandoned homes, pretending we had a future. Here we are though, alive and striving toward a future neither of us could have predicted. Neither of us had been prepared for Cal or Evangeline to come along, but they had, and now the four of us had been ensnared by fate. We had been bound to one another for eternity, and whether it was for a life under the dirt, or as members of the living, none of us were sure.

The door into the car opened, and we turned to see Farley framed in the doorway, her hair whipping around as she announced, "We're approaching the drop point. You two need to get ready."

I nodded, and then glancing at Shade, I turned on my heel to leave. He scrambled up and grabbed my arm though, and pulling me close he insisted, "Promise me you'll talk to Cal, that the two of you will figure all of this out."

I glance down at the iron grip he has on my arm, and then looking up again, I nod carefully, the movement is so small though, that I think he misses it. I don't think when I pull away and follow Farley back into our car. The others are gathered around the map that Farley has spread out on the floor. Cal sits directly behind it, looking it over while telling Julian directions to write down. Sara sits with Evangeline, speaking quietly with her while she examines the young silver woman. I watch the scene form the doorway for a moment, imagining Evangeline a few months from now, holding a bundle of blankets while my brother dotes over the two of them. It's a hard thing to picture, simply because I could never imagine Evangeline holding a child.

Farley brushes passed me, and then settles in next to Cal. The two of them bow their heads together and start debating strategy. Should we take the ten-mile hike around the Choke, or should we try and cut across it somehow? I'd elect to never go near it, but it would cut our time in half if we go through it instead of around it. If we could go through though, we risk being killed, or worse caught. If they catch us, there is not telling what could happen. Most likely we'd be dragged back to Archeon to be put at Samson's nonexistent mercy. I doubt it would take long for him to determine what to do with Evangeline, worse yet, is the picture of what her family would do to my brother. In their eyes, he has violated her, soiled a perfect daughter. They're skin him alive for it, regardless of whether or not Evangeline is happy. That baby will be killed for so much as existing, and its body would be added to the piles of children that had been killed at the Choke and for other reasons. Something in me rebelled against the picture of a tiny infant that looked like Shade being tossed into a dark mass grave like the ones they supposedly dig in the Choke. I will not let anything happen to that baby, no matter what it costs me.

Maggie hurries over to me, his hair laced with intricate braids, and her eyes shining as she announces, "We're almost there, Cal says it won't be long before we have to get off the train, Mare!"

"I know, I heard." I reply casually, before steering her back toward the others. Shade closes the door behind him as he enters, and seeing Evangeline, makes his way to her immediately. She smiles up at him, her cheeks flushed with some emotion or another, before gesturing to the spot next to her. I pass by them, my lips curling up in the slightest of smiles at how comfortable they are with one another. I wish for a moment that the country could see this, could see how easy it could be, if only we realized that we weren't that different after all.

Cal glances up at me, before giving me a tight grin. He looks tired, and his eyes are a little empty today. He must have spoken with Maven again, and judging by that emptiness in his eyes, it wasn't a good conversation. I skitter the circle of people looking over the map, and then settle down on Cal's other side. His hand slides along my lower back, the touch chaste and yet passionate at the same time. His touch sends shivers down my spine, and I can't help but smile as I glance at him out of the corner of my eye. If he knows the effect he has on me, he doesn't show it. He remains focused on his map, his eyes scanning for every possibility. He runs numbers in his head, and calculates risk versus reward. He was built for this, for war, for strategy. I can't help but think that perhaps, if he had been born a different man, the world might have been a very different place. Maybe his heart would have been with the Guard from the start, maybe he would have joined up on his own choice earlier. Maybe he would have lead us to victory sooner.

I shake those thoughts away though. I shake away the shadow of a man clothed in bright red, like flame with the sun framing him as he leads us toward that horizon, toward the future. I can't lose focus now, I have to be focused, have to be thinking about the present, not what could be or what might have been. There is no time for those things.

Farley runs her fingertip along a small stream that meets a larger river and eventually one of the massive lakes inside of the Lakelander border. She speaks to no one in particular when she says, "A squadron from Trial will be waiting for us when we cross the border. They're job is to see us safely across and then to Trial."

"They can't cross over though and meet us at the drop point?" I ask, thinking it might be nice to have an escort through the massive ten mile hike we will have to take. She shrugs and then replies, "They don't have orders to do so. Besides, they assume we are capable enough to get ourselves over the border and to them."

"It might be nice to have more men, more people to keep an eye out so that we can keep an eye on Maven." Cal murmurs as he traces a different path, one that is slightly straighter than Farley's and that brushes the borders of the Choke. He's a man of military strategy, and he's not afraid to dance on the edge of a battlefield. In his eyes, going around is just pointless, when we could go straight through. It would be a bad idea though, what with the expanse of the Choke just one massive open field with nothing but trenches. We wouldn't even make it half way across before we got shot.

The group falls to silence when Cal brings up our prisoner. What we were going to do with him? As far as plans go, we didn't really have one, and although Cal and I had discussed what might happen, we hadn't truly thought about it. Maven's death would mean an end to my nightmares, but it would mean the true death of Cal's brother. Any effort to save him would be lost, and I knew that in his heart of hearts, all Cal wanted to do was save his brother.

"We're going to have to make do with what we have." Farley says as she picks the map up and folds it, ending that conversation and the thoughts it brings up before those things can even being. Cal glances up at her heatedly though, and then says, "We're not going to be able to get him across the Choke without someone seeing him and engaging us."

"Which is why we're going around the Choke and not through it." Farley states coolly, an ice to counter Cal's fire. He doesn't back down though; in fact, her challenge only seems to ignite his anger further. Standing up to face her, he says, "It's quicker to go through the Choke, even if we just cut across the edge of it."

"But we risk getting caught," Farley replies, gripping the map tightly between her fingers like it's a towel and she can wring the water out of it. Although Farley is always willing to listen to both sides of a fight, I can tell she does not want to hear Cal's, and I know why too. His plan is risky, and it calls for stealth that we just don't have right now. He'd be putting our lives at risk just to get us across a little faster. I can understand her point of view as well, and as much as it worries me to disagree with Cal's tactically trained mind, I'd rather go around and take the extra time.

"She's right Cal. We can't afford to get caught. Besides, as much as Evangeline protests, she's in no state to get into a hand to hand combat situation."

Sure enough the Magnetron bristles as my comment, and then opens her mouth to argue. Shade wraps an arm around her shoulders though and says cautiously, "Mare's right. If we get caught, or surrounded, you're in no state to engage people. You'd put yourself and the baby in danger."

She glares at him and then says heatedly, "I don't need you to coddle me. I can handle a battle."

Cal gestures to Evangeline as if she just proved his point, only to turn and stare in surprise when she says, "As much as it irritates me to say, I agree, though. I'd rather go around." Her hand caresses her stomach for a second, and she doesn't need to say anything else. She won't put her baby in danger, and for that reason, she'd rather make the extra trek. Farley squares her shoulders at Evangeline's comment, and stuffing the map in the pocket of her jacket she declares, "It's decided then, we'll be going around."

I glance at Cal hesitantly, but his jaw is only set tightly. That is the only sign that he's upset with the decision though. He turns his back and cross the car to gather up his things, and I follow him slowly. I crouch down to help him roll up the blankets, but he pulls them away from me and does it himself. I bristle in annoyance and then whisper, "Don't be angry, she's right."

"It's quicker if we go through. The more time we take to get there, is just more time for Maven to plot."

"You don't really think that Cal." I accuse, as I watch him shove things into his bag. His brows knit together at the comment, and his skin flushes pale. Whether it's from anger at my insinuation, or embarrassment at the fact that I called him out, I can't tell. In the end though, he sits back to look at me. He doesn't say anything, and the two of us just sit in that borderline painful silence for a few heartbeats. His eyes soften first, but only after I raise my chin slightly to match his pointed stare. When his expression does finally loosen, he drops his eyes and says softly, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get that angry."

I almost stand and walk away, almost leave him like that, instead I swallow my pride and cross my arms in response. "You were willing to risk Evangeline and her baby to make it across the Choke a few hours faster?"

"No, I…" He pauses, knowing what I already know. Anything he says would have been a lie, because the truth is that he wasn't thinking about Evangeline and the baby. He was thinking about our need to get across quickly. Caution be damned, my brother's baby be damned, so long as we crossed that border. When my expression doesn't change, he squeezes his hands into fists and says stiffly, "I would have done everything my power to protect her and the baby, you have to know that."

"Then you have to know that I don't think you were even thinking about my brother's child." If we're being honest with each other, then we're going to be completely honest. He should be able to take it, and if he couldn't then he was letting his emotions about Maven cloud his judgement. I wasn't about to trade my brother, Evangeline, or that baby's life for Maven Calore's. He had to know that, he had to know that their lives meant so much more to me now. Maven had been a nightmare that haunted my dreams, but now that we had him in our clutches, I didn't have those nightmare's anymore. I had finally realized how much energy I had expelled hating him, and fearing him, and it had been too much. My energy was better spent protecting my brother's future, and the little family he was going to have soon. He'd been through enough hell that he deserved it, and I was going to do everything in my power to make sure that they came out of this war unscathed.

Cal sighs at my comment and then sits down with his arms resting on his bent knees. He watches me for a few seconds and then says softly, "I'm sorry. I never meant to put them in danger Mare."

"But you were going to, consequences be damned," he opens his mouth to argue, and I cut him off before he has a chance to, "This is my brother's one shot at happiness, I'm not going to watch him crumble when it's lost."

"And what about us, what about our happiness?" He asks heatedly. My hackles raise, but he doesn't let me speak, just like I hadn't let him speak a few seconds ago. "What happened to running away and living in the county side? Is that just another dream to throw into the ashes, Mare?"

Bowing my head, I collect my thoughts and try to keep from spitting something horrendous at him. I could lash out and ask the same thing of him, but then I would just be fighting fire against his own. I would only get burned then, and I didn't want to push him away just yet.

"It's just a dream Cal, and we're getting too old for fairy tales." I stand up then, deciding that even though my comment had been bitter, and had probably pushed him away anyways, it was the better thing to say. I could have said something much worse and crushed him for good, but I wouldn't' do that, I never could. I loved him too much to destroy him. I walk back toward Farley and the others, never once looking over my shoulder, even though it burns me not to do so.

(/)

The pine needles of the forest we trudge through crunch under my boots, and I try to ignore the sound that I can't help. It grates on my nerves though, because it's just one more little imperfection in my life right now. I watch the back of Cal's head as he and Farley led our small party around the Choke. Next to me, Maven tries to hide his limp as he keeps pace with me. There would be no falling behind for him, especially now. If he tried to leave, a Red on the front lines might shoot him, or a Silver soldier from the Lakelands would. There was no escape for him at this point, and he seemed to have finally realized that. His eyes were constantly shifting, dancing over the shadows that the evening sun was creating around us. It would be dark in a couple of hours, but by then we would be at the border, and we would finally be able to hand him over to Command.

"Trouble in paradise?" Maven asks innocently when he notices the heated glance I throw in Cal's direction when he looks back at me. Huffing at his intrusion into my personal affairs, I reply, "None that concerns you."

He shrugs and then glancing back at Evangeline as he says, "If you and my brother are going to go to blows, I want to be as far away as possible to avoid being collateral damage."

"Why do you care so much anyway? I figured you would be happy that we're in the middle of this." I grumble as I glance through the expanse of trees, keeping an eye out for any soldiers. His dark chuckle pulls me back though and with a smirk he says smoothly, "Don't flatter yourself Mare. All I wanted was for you to be in my possession. I didn't want you to love you, or to have you as anything more than a companion."

"A companion?" I snort, he certainly hadn't been acting like that in Archeon when he had separated me and Cal after he'd demonstrated exactly what he wanted to do with that serum. He'd practically been crawling across the floor to grovel at my feet and beg me to stay. All of that for a possession, I think, disgusted for a moment by the whole thing. To think that once upon a time, I had thought the young man next to me could feel love, and that he had loved me.

"Do you feel anything at all?" I ask, not bothering to hide the disgust in my tone. He doesn't even flinch at it though, in fact, his lips curl up in a dark smile as he turns to me and replies quietly, dangerously, like a storm brewing on the horizon, "We are products of our making Mare."

My blood runs cold as he speaks, there, the ghost of his mother haunts his eyes as he turns to look ahead once more. I reach down and set my hand on my pistol, jumpy now that his mood seems to have taken a very sudden turn. "And what are you a product of?" I ask quietly, hoping the others are not listening to this conversation.

His head tilts to the side, and he gives me a pitying glance, as if it's pathetic that I haven't figured out the answer to that question. "My mother of course," he says like a cat toying with its prey, "just as Cal is a product of our father, and you are a product of the streets, and Evangeline is a product of a mother and father who had a daughter just so they could try and get their hands on the crown."

My skin crawls again, and I glance over my shoulder at the Magnetron behind me, who is carefully picking her way across the landscape, avoiding roots and holes as she talks quietly with Shade. I couldn't imagine having been born to simply marry someone. She had been born to marry Cal though, a woman bred to sit on a throne beside him. I shiver at the thought, and at the future that could have been. It would have been a future of iron and fire, shaping Norta into a blade for war.

Without even realizing what I'm asking, I breathe, "Was any of it real?"

His brow lifts for a moment, the movement so practiced and perfect, it's almost unsettling. "You'd be disappointed to hear that I do not know." He replies after a few seconds of silence, his eyes growing cold and distant as he looks ahead again. In front of us, Farley has peeled off from Cal to scan the trees to the left of us, which might be harboring an ambush. We pause while we wait for her, and I glance at Cal for a moment, thinking about how certain he is in everything he says and does.

"How can you not know?" I ask, dumbfound that he doesn't know how he came to be the way he is.

"When you live with a mother as a whisperer, you are never alone in your own head Mare," he sneers when he sees me throw him a quiet glance, and continues coolly, "I don't expect any pity from you, nor do I want any. Besides, everything my mother did was to make me stronger, and she succeeded."

A product of his mother indeed, he knew exactly what to say to please me. He had known me impossibly well two years ago. Not so much now. I was not the naïve girl that had fallen into the middle of Queenstrial anymore, I was an entirely different person, broken and reshaped under his betrayal. Maybe two years ago I would have felt pity for the shadow, but now, I saw what the shadow harbored, what secrets lurked beneath the surface. I'd seen the monster beneath the mask, and now, I was determined to destroy both of them before they destroyed me.

"She made you a monster," I whisper, the thought of what having Elara at his back would have done if she had remained alive this long while he was king made me almost sick to my stomach. I could almost see the mounds of bodies that would have piled up on both sides, the chess pieces thrown off the board haphazardly as the two of them struck us down one by one. If we weren't careful though, Samson would do exactly that too.

He chuckles at my statement and then replies simply, "Monsters make the best Kings though Mare."

I blink in confusion; my idea of the king Cal would be clashing instantly with the idea of what Maven is inferring. A monster with claws sitting on the throne, sending children to die was not what I pictured when I thought of a king anymore. No, now, I pictured a boy with icy blue eyes, and a feral smile, sitting back idly as he burned the country to the ground. But I refuse to believe that that is the best option. I square my shoulders, prepared to die on this hill, and defend my notion. "And why is that?"

If anything, my bolstering only seems to amuse him. With a dark, silky voice, he replies, "Because you can't have heart and sit on a throne, one or the other gives out eventually. Usually it's the heart," he glances at Cal then, as if to prove his point. My eyes follow his and I tense as I picture the High Houses coming back with a vengeance and tearing Cal apart like the wolves they are. Maven had once told me that Cal wouldn't even make it past his wedding night. I hadn't doubted it back then, but then again, I hadn't known Cal the way I do now. I set my jaw tightly, refusing to back down, and then say stiffly, "You're wrong."

"For my brother's sake, I hope you're right."

Farley returns then, her gun resting at her side, and her expression neutral. Apparently we were safe to move on. She glances at Cal though and says, "I caught sight of a patrol passing through. They're running parallel to us, so I doubt we'll run into them, but I don't want to take the chance."

Cal nods, and then glancing at me quickly, he says, "We'll wait for them to pass then. No point in getting caught now when we're so close."

Evangeline sinks onto a tree root in response and starts to massage her knees, which I had noticed were starting to swell. Sara sinks down next to her and starts to go about taking the swelling down as much as she can. Evangeline thanks her quietly, her expression softening as Shade sinks into a crouch next to her and offers her the canister of water. Maggie comes along with Julian at the back, walking across a fallen tree while asking Julian questions about the colors of the sky as they start to shift with the setting sun.

"We need to keep moving," Evangeline says after Sara finished with her knees. She glances up at Cal then and says, "We shouldn't be out here after dark. It may be spring, but it will be cold, and we don't have enough provisions to make it one more night out here."

Cal seems to think about this for a little bit, and then glancing at Farley he asks, "How far away from us where they?"  
"I'd say a good hundred yards. They were moving slow though. They're combing the forest for runaways." Farley replies before dropping her pack to the ground and sinking down to rest for a second as well. Maggie hops off of her tree and then stepping up next to me, she asks hesitantly, "Can I help at all?"

"I don't think so," Cal states as he shifts his pack and then glances at the trees as if he can see through them and find the group of soldiers moving through the trees. "We have at most another two miles, and maybe thirty minutes until its completely dark out here. The longer we are out in these woods, the harder it will be for the party to see us when we arrive at the border."

"Then we should go now." Farley says as she stretches her long legs in front of her. She turns her eyes to Evangeline and then asks, "Are you ready to move forward? We will have to move faster."

Evangeline's lips draw in a tight line at the implication that she is not ready to move and then standing she says, "I can move as fast as any of you. Let's go." She starts forward then, pushing past Cal to lead the way. Shade sighs behind me and then stands and follows her. He quickens his pace to match hers, and the rest of us have no choice but to hurry after them to catch up.

After another ten minutes, Maggie starts to get tired. She stumbles a little more, her young legs not exactly used to this much walking and running. Cal pauses next to her, and I pause a little bit ahead of them. The shadows of the trees bend around them, warping their figures in the dim light. It's starting to get harder to see, and I have to squint to make their more intricate details out. Cal crouches down to Maggie's height, obviously about to lift her up onto his shoulders or back so that the trip is a little quicker.

As he goes down though, I see the flash of a different color among the trees behind him. Bright blue, like a jaybird in spring, is the color that passes in the bushes near Cal. I blink for a second, thinking my eyes are playing tricks on me in the low light, but then I see another flash of blue, this time on the other side of them. We're standing in a creek bed, masking out sent from dogs by marching through a small creek. But above us, I see more blue, everywhere I look there is blue, royal blue, sky blue, blue, blue, blue. My heart accelerates in my chest t the beat of that word in my mind, and I glance at Cal to choke, "Cal…"

He looks up, confusion written on his face. He's taken his pack off so that he can put Maggie on his back, but when he sees my eyes, he follows them. He's trained to known those uniforms, and the color drains from his face until I can see the black smudges under his eyes. Without a second to spare then, he throws his bag on, pulls Maggie into his arms and shouts, "Ambush! Ambush!"

The others stop ahead, but he breaks into a sprint, and I catch up just as the bullets start flying. Shade has his arms around Evangeline before she can even inhale in surprise, and they disappear. I throw up a shield of lightning, and the bullets slam into it, melting until they run down my shield like rivers silver blood. Farley is at the lead, returning fire into the trees to give us cover as we start sprinting for the border. How the Lakelander soldiers crossed, I have no idea. The Nortian patrol should have seen them before we did, but here we are, running for our lives again.

Next to me, Cal throws up a wall of fire behind us, and when I glance over my shoulder I see why. Not only are their Lakelander soldiers above us and surrounding us, there are Nortian one's behind us. Silver's that must have been tracking us for miles. At this point, there is no time to stop and engage them. All I can think about though is my brother, who had teleported away. I hoped he had jumped far enough, that he had found the Scarlet Guard group waiting for us at the border. We could only hope that he would come back for us and jump whoever he could out before we got killed. The soldiers race along next to us, shouting at one another as they try to corral us so that they can pin us into a corner of their own making.

The light bends around us as the sun drops and bathes us in darkness. Cal's fire lights the way though, burning around us and pushing the soldiers back. He won't be able to keep that up forever though, because I hear the hiss of water on flame as a nymph begins to drown his fire. My shield begins to waver too as I lose my focus and start to fade from exerting myself by erecting our little shield.

Up ahead, the riverbed slowly begins to turn into a bottleneck, and the soldiers above us start dropping down to force us into it so that they can surround us. We're steadily running out of options though, and we cannot afford to get caught, not now, not when we're so close. Ahead of me, I see Farley take a firm grip on Maven's arm to prevent him from getting away. He sneers at her and tries to pull away, but Farley refuses to let him drag her off course. In the end, instead of taking her down, he trips himself, sprawling out in the dirt. He cries out, and the soldiers close in as I grab him and try to drag him to his feet. He grabs onto my jacket then and yanks me back down with him though. I cry out as I fall backwards on top of him. With a hiss, he wraps his arms around me and pins me to him as he growls in my ear, "You're not getting away this time."

I squirm in his arms, screaming for help, and in front of me, I see Cal throw Maggie to Julian before sprinting headlong towards me. A soldier beats him though, a man dressed in navy blue. He sneers down at us and then spits, "A couple of insurgents making a run for the border? How interesting."

I sneer up at him and try to pull myself out of Maven's arms, but before the solider can so much as raise his gun, a bullet slams into his forehead. Blood sprays from the hit, silver blood, I realize. Maven lets out a surprised gasp, and then over that sound, I hear the pop of bullets as different uniforms appear. They're ragged and falling apart, but I would know them anywhere. The Scarlet Guard insignia is embroidered on every jacket, shirt and bandana they wear across their faces. I have never been happier to see that golden sun.

Cal has me on my feet then, and has Maven pinned down in the mud. They roll around for a few seconds in the corner of my eye while I return fire of my own, until Cal's superior size, and Maven's injury, forces him to admit defeat. He collapses in the dirt under Cal, and I watch as Cal drives the butt of his rifle into the back of Maven's head. There's a blossom of silver in his hair, and Cal's heaves for breath above him for a few seconds, his rifle raised to bring it down again. In the light, he looks like a shadow, with a slanted beam of the last sun rays cutting across his eyes, turning them to burning pools for fury. He looks like an archangel, a being hell bent on wiping out whatever is below it. I had listened to Julian read me stories about them at Anabel's estate. Archangels were creatures of an ancient religion, one that had died around the time of the First Disasters. They were beings sent by a god to do its bidding, to end the lives of those who questioned, and who rose up against the power of some supposed all mighty heaven. Seeing Cal like that, with colors around him making him look like a painting of one of the archangels makes my stomach turn and my heart hammer in my chest. It terrifies me, the way he looks, the feral look in his eye.

"Cal stop!" I cry as I grab the gun to prevent him from bringing it down on his brother's head again. The soldiers around us have fled, their shouts heard through the trees like ghostly howls as they race back to safety. The Guard has surrounded us, and the few that do not go after the soldiers, form a ring around our little party, checking for injuries, for our numbers.

Cal heaves for breath, and where I'm standing, with my legs pressed against his back, I can feel every shudder as it leaves his body. My own chest hitches with fear, at what he had been about to do, what he had been willing about to do. He had almost murdered his brother, had almost smashed his head in, and something about that made my stomach squirm with another unknown emotion. What if I had just let him do it? What would have happened? Would it have finally ended the tension between us, or would it have finally torn us apart?

He calms down slowly, and when he sees the blood running down Maven's neck, he leaps off of his body, his eyes wide as he throws the rifle into the dirt. I watch him, watch his every move like he's a wild animal. Back in the Stilts, I had seen this kind of thing before. Animal's fighting in alleyways, only to back off at the last second and then go in for the kill. He glances at me though, eyes full of as much terror as I'm feeling. We look at each other for a few seconds, before he slowly crouches down to pick up the rifle. Maven groans into the dirt, and Cal takes a second to register that sound, before hurrying toward Farley and leaving me with Maven.

I watch him race away, panic lining his features as he tries to get away from what he almost did. He can't escape it though, and I know he never will. There are just somethings that are always etched into our hearts. Crouching down then so that I can whisper in Maven's ear, I spit, "Are you alive you ass?"

He moans again, one of his eyes opening slowly to look at me before he closes it and falls unconscious completely. I want to scream at him, to tackle him myself and tear him apart. Damn him, I should have known better than to trust that he would have let me pull him out of the dirt. If Cal had killed his brother, it would have been my fault. I had set that situation into motion, and I would have had to deal with the consequences of that too.

I sit next to Maven for a while, until the other soldiers return. They are clearly led by a tall woman at the front, with eyes like storm clouds, and hair like a halo of tight curls on her head. She turns to look at our little rag tag group, and then her eyes land on Farley. Her face breaks into a wide grin and she takes two steps to cover the distance and then grabs Farley's arm before yanking her into a hug.

"Diana," The woman says softly, and then pulling away she teases, "you leave us for two years and you lose your touch, you're going soft."

Farley scoffs and then gesturing to Maven's prone form in the dirt, she says, "It's not easy to run with a snake that wants to bite you."

The woman laughs, and then turns those eyes on me, before looking over our whole group. She smiles then and says, "Welcome to the Lakelands, Nortians, Command has been expecting you."

 _ **A/N**_

 _ **And welcome back, yes, yes, I knoooooooow, it feels like it's been eternity since I updated. Deepest apologies. I got really active on tumblr and school has been as hard as ever. (good news is that I'm officially a Film Major and a Pre-Med Major so I'm ready to suffer obviously). I hit a bit of a rut in this story after reading King's Cage, just cause I'm obviously so very far away from what King's Cage is. I've come to realize this is not terrible. A lot of things are yet to come though, and weve got some fun new character's to meet. We should have a short little Third POV from the Nortian court, just to give you an idea of what's going on there, and then back to the Lakelands with the squad to find out what is to become of them. (((:**_

 _ **NO QUESTION: BUT WE DO HAVE A GENDER AND A NAME FOR THE BABE (((:**_


	8. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

 _(/_ _ **Archeon: Whitefire Palace**_ _/)_

Samson had decided that he should have killed Mare Barrow and Tiberias Calore when they had been in his grasp. He had planned everything down to perfection where it concerned them, but he hadn't planned for how big of a pain in his side they would be. No wonder his nephew had eventually gone up the walls insane concerning them. Those two would drive anyone insane with the amount of chaos they caused.

"Are there any reports on where they have gone?" Samson asked coolly as he massaged his temples. There was more grey in his hair there now, and it infuriated him that it was because of the two little star crossed lovers that were running around making his life harder than it had to be. Across from him, Ptolemus Samos who was supposed to be in charge of hunting the two of them down, squirmed in his chair. Standing on either side of him, the two guards also shifted, uneasy with their King's tone of voice. Ptolemus seemed to refuse to really let his unease show though, something Samson admired in him. The young man apparently could keep his head under pressure, then again, Maven hadn't put any form of pressure on the man. It was time to remedy that.

Rising slowly from his chair, Samson held his hand up to prevent Ptolemus from standing as well, and then glancing at the guards, he asked, "How did they manage to slip by you?"

"They crossed the border with the help of insurgents from the Lakelands." The guard on Ptolemus' right replied. Samson's eyes narrowed on him, and the man dropped to the floor a second later. Ptolemus jumped to his feet, scrambling away from the man. Samson sighed as he stepped around his desk and glanced down at the man. A trail of blood ran from his nose, and dripped onto the thick carpet. His eyes were still open wide in surprise, and his lips were still open in what would have been a gasp of surprise, had he had time to actually make that sound. Samson stepped over his body, refusing to so much as bother with it.

Ptolemus looked down at the man in horror and then looked up at Samson before dropping his eyes quickly. Samson turned his burning gaze on the next guard, who tried to back away and run. He only had the chance to turn though, before he dropped to the floor. Ptolemus turned away from that body as well, his eyes squeezing shut as Samson slowly advanced on him. His boots silent on the carpet, like a cat approaching its prey. He stopped before Ptolemus, and then delivering a frosty smile he asked, "How did they get away Lord Samos?"

Ptolemus swallowed and then whispered, "A band of rebels crossed the border and rescued them. But we would have had them... if the Lakelander soldiers hadn't gotten there first."

Samson paused, his ability dancing on the edge of Ptolemus's thoughts, reading through the very same report Ptolemus had been given by one of the two surviving members of the party that had followed the little rag tag group all the way from Harbor Bay. His lips drew into a tight line, and with a sneer he hissed a curse word and then turned and returned to his desk. He should have known that leaving the front line less guarded would only give an excuse for the Lakelanders to cross, and now they had. Furious with himself for letting that slip by him, he drummed his fingers on his desk and tried to think through his many threads to figure out how to fix this. He had so many plots in motion right now, but there wasn't much that connected him to the Lakelands. He had had much difficulty getting into that court simply because they did not let Whisperers within ten feet of the main government building without an escort. He had some weak ties there though, some of them with strings he could pull.

Across from him Ptolemus seemed to finally be allowing himself to breathe, but he stilled when Samson's fingers froze on the table. He had an idea of what to do, and based off of recent events, it would work, it had to work. Samson smiled wickedly as he slowly drew it out in his head, drawing perfect connects as he went. Of course, it was so simple. He turned his attention back to Ptolemus and asked, "How much do you know about the Lakelander Queen?"

Swallowing, Ptolemus glanced out the window at the garden in full bloom and whispered, "There is very little known about her, other than the fact that after her husband died, she did not remarry."

Samson stood from behind his desk again and stepping out from behind it, he crossed the room and started for the doors out of his study. Ptolemus hurried after him, after he realized he was supposed to follow. Like a loyal hound, he followed his master, Samson thought with a smirk as he passed through the rooms outside of his office and started into the marble hall. His boots clicked on the marble and he strolled down the hall casually, a regal air about him that neither of the Calore brothers had ever been able to replicate. As he went, he glanced out at the gardens below. It was starting to roll toward summer now, the weather getting more and more humid. It would be dawning on the two-year anniversary of his sister's death, and the three-year anniversary of her son's ascension to the throne. So much had happened in three years. A rebellion had risen and had festered, and was now running rampant under his feet like rodents that refused to die without more coming to take their place. If only he could wipe out the entire Red population. Without them though, there would be no one to work, no one to serve on the front lines, and he couldn't have that.

"I wonder how the Lakelands are this time of year." Samson mused out loud as he rounded the corner and started toward his council chambers. He would call a meeting of the council, and he would deliver his plan, and then he would draw up his treaty.

Behind him, Ptolemus frowned in response and then said, "I assume just as nice?"

"I hope so, because we're visiting soon." Samson reported as he turned the final corner and opened the doors to the council chambers. Ptolemus froze behind him and then choked, "I beg your pardon, Your Majesty?"

"You heard me, you idiot. You lost them, the small group of people I gave you very specific instruction about. So now, I have to clean up your mess." He stepped into the council chambers then, leaving Ptolemus to only guess at what his plans actually were.

 _(/_ _ **Mare**_ _/)_

I rode in the back of an open top truck between two Scarlet Guard soldiers, while the woman who had rescued us, and Farley, sat a little ways down from me, whispering urgently and stealing glances at Maven who was bound and tied in the corner. He hadn't moved since he'd fallen unconscious and it didn't look like he was waking up anytime soon.

The truck we were riding in allowed the humid air to rush around us as we sped toward Command, but it did nothing to prevent us from feeling the humidity. We'd been driving all night and now, dawn was just starting to break. A balmy wind was blowing across the massive forest that we had been traveling through, and it rushed across my skin which was coated in a thin layer of sweat that the humidity pressed down on and continued to perpetuate. The heat was excruciating, but the wind at least gave some relief. I glanced around the truck at the rest of our party, at Maggie who was snoring softly as she leaned against Cal. Julian was whispering with one of the young men in the party that had come to rescue us, their conversation consisting mostly of any news that the Guard might have heard about Norta. We hadn't been able to hear any news while we were traveling, and now, he was trying to get everything he could and put it into the context of our plan.

Across from him, Sara was healing a young woman that had been shot in the leg, her smile warm as she talked with the woman about her family. I felt my own lips quirk up in a smile as I took that in. We were safe now, hopefully.

Cal glanced at me, his eyes careful as he took me in. Without a doubt he was thinking about what had happened in the forest, about what he had almost done, and the look on my face as I watched him almost do it. I could still remember the look on his face. As our eyes met, he dropped his to Maggie who had shifted and slid down until she was practically curled up in his lap. He ran his fingers through her hair absentmindedly while he stared out at what looked like an endless forest on either side of us. Eventually, I reached my hand out across the small space between us and set my hand on his knee. His eyes snapped up to mine as if I had startled him. I gave him the softest look I could muster and then whispered, "We're okay, you got us here. You and Farley got us here."

He doesn't even nod, he simply glances at Maven and then back at me. He won't even take longer than a heartbeat to look at his brother. I watch him carefully though, my brows starting to scrunch together as my worry for him grows. Eventually, he turns his eyes back to me and whispers, "I'm sorry about... what I did. I just... he almost... he almost got us all killed and I-"

"I don't need to know." I say as I squeeze his knee softly, "I know why you did what you did. I would have probably done the same." I give him a small smile then, and slowly pulled away, my fingertips trailing along his knee. His eyes never leave mine, and I can see something deep within them, that same fire that had shone through in the forest when he had almost killed Maven. This is different though, its softer, more like embers burning in a fire pit. His eyes practically smolder and it takes a lot of willpower to not lean forward and press my lips to his. His mood lightens considerably when he notices that change in me, and the corner of his lips curl up in a smirk.

I give him a deadpanned stare to hide my actual amusement, and then lean back and cross my arms and one leg over the other. He sees the motion, and his eyes travel south slowly to the spot where my legs are crossed the tightest. My chest hitches and the breath I inhale draws his eyes back up. He bites the corner of his lip and then turns his attention away completely. I can't even begin to comprehend what had just happened. We had never looked at each other like that, with such a strange mix of desire and lust. It was exhilarating. But it was a stage we had never dared to step on, for fear that we wouldn't know how to play the parts that it required. I waited for him to give me another glance, but he didn't. He spent the rest of the ride speaking quietly with the soldier next to him who gave him a quick rundown of the distance to the compound and how far we still had to go.

(/)

It was noon, and the sun was blistering. The humidity was excruciating, and it seemed as if the faint breeze we had gotten at dawn had left us for good. The only people who didn't seem affected were the soldiers and Farley's companion, Joan, who had left the war plans behind in favor of exchanging stories from the years they had been apart. She was a gorgeous woman too, tall and lean like Farley with a mass of dark curly hair. Her skin was dark, but her storm grey eyes were all the more mesmerizing because of it. She was force of nature to behold, light and dark, shadow and highlight, all in one woman. It was beauty at its finest. I felt like a drab piece of cotton next to her.

As I was staring at Joan, trying to determine what I would classify her as when the truck came to a slow stop on the outskirts of a city. It was much smaller than Nortian cities, and the buildings were much closer to the ground. Joan rose, her eyes on the horizon as she said, "Everyone out, arrow formation, keep our party protected."

The soldiers rose first, piling out before hurrying into the trees, a few of them staying behind, their guns at the ready as Joan stepped out of the truck, with Farley following close behind. Cal followed them, lifting Maggie up and then setting the giggling girl down on her feet. I came after him, and with a smile in his direction I climbed out of the truck. He helped Sara and Evangeline out then, the latter with her hand on her stomach as she climbed down. She settled on her feet and one of the soldiers approached her carefully before taking up a position next to her. She threw a daggered glare in his direction, to which he simply replied, "Pregnant women are considered important personal, you'll have to forgive me for doing my job."

If it were possible for Evangeline to be even more angry, she was. Her lips curled up in a snarl, but to the man's credit he didn't back down. Instead, he straightened his spine and said, "Orders are orders, miss. Command told us to give you a special escort."

"I think that I can handle any sort of special escort." Shade announced as he climbed out of the truck. The soldier glanced at him for a moment, and then looked him up and down before saying, "If you wish."

He took a step away from Evangeline then, and the Magnetron seemed to relax a little more as she hung closer to Shade. He gave her a small smile and touched her shoulder softly before glancing at the village. "Pretty small place considering its Command."

Joan turned back to us and then with a smirk replied, "That isn't Command."

"Wonderful, you've taken us to the middle of nowhere then. I can't wait to be hung from a tree like a children's game." A gruff voice grumbled behind me, and I glanced over my shoulder to see Cal and a solider with Maven's arms around their shoulders to support him since he looked rather sick. He glanced around with a look of disgust to avoid my eye and then asked, "Do I at least get to pick the tree I'm hung from?"

"You won't be hung," Farley said coolly, before turning to Joan, and continuing, "The Colonel and Command will decide what to with you, Your Majesty. The Colonel is here correct?"

Joan nodded, her eyes flickering with laughter, before saying, "And is expecting your arrival in the next half hour."

Farley seemed to smile for the first time in weeks and said almost breathlessly, "Then we better get a move on, he doesn't like to be kept waiting."

(/)

The Scarlet Guard seemed to have a love for underground compounds, because Command was just another set of tunnels that seemed to stretch for miles underground. As we walked down them, we got quite a few stares. Evangeline and Cal more than anyone. Everywhere I looked, there were Reds, there was not a Silver in sight. It felt wrong, odd somehow. The number of people in Command was exponential in comparison to what we had come from, and it felt strange to walk around and not know a single face. Everyone seemed to know who we were though, because the stares we got were measured, as if every single person we walked passed was sizing us up and putting us into the perspective of whatever rumors or stories had made it this far.

I tried to ignore them as best as possible, but it had been a while since I was forced to walk under such searching stares. In a way, I'm glad for Maven though. He sucks up most of the attention, people desperately curious and starving to see a Silver King brought low. But Cal gets his own fair share of attention, mostly from the young women who all throw glances at him. That makes me slow my pace so that I'm walking alongside him, and throwing my own glances back at them, warning them off in a way that makes Cal turn his head slightly at me and smirk to himself. I chose to ignore him.

Joan leads us up a set of stairs, telling us about the compound and its security as we go. Supposedly we were a mile underground, protected by radiation equipment like Narcery had been. I glanced around at the pipping that ran throughout the entire compound, remembering the compound we had flooded and abandoned when Samson had come for us. This one felt oddly cold compared to home. Yes, I thought, that compound had been home. It had represented safety and security, and now it felt like we had stepped into a shell of a space. While I was trying to chase down that whisp of a feeling, we approached the platform we had been climbing stairs to reach. 1At the top of the stairs, there was another young woman waiting, her ankles and arms crossed as she leaned against the doorway of what was probably the massive room that could only be the information station. She was just as lean as Joan, but the resemblance stopped there. She had long legs that were clad is dark pants, and wore a low slung belt with a pistol on it. Her hair had been chopped short, and recently too from the look of it. Her eyes were like sparkling emeralds.

Farley seems to freeze at the top of the stairs, taking in the young woman standing there. Since we're going single file, we're all forced to stop and watch. There is silence for a few seconds before Farley lets out a chocking gasp and launches herself the last few steps before engulfing the young woman in hug. The two of them stumbled with the momentum of Farley's leap, and end up laughing it off as they chatter in quick voices. Joan watches the whole thing with an air of disinterest, as if she's seen it more than enough times, before ushering us up the stairs and past them. I watch the tail end of the exchange though, watching as the woman wipes the tears off of Farley's cheeks and says something softly before pulling her in for another tight hug.

"They were very close before Diana went off to Norta, and Ellie went down to the Choke." Joan supplies behind me, dragging my attention to her instead of Farley. I blink in surprise for a moment, and then remember two years ago when Farley had given me her advice. She had told me that she had never told the person she loved the truth, and by the time she wanted to, it was too late. They had been separated, one going to the Choke, and the other on to Norta. I dare one last glance back at Farley, before nodding in understanding, and then stepping past Joan. I had never put much thought into Farley's comment, her love life had always been more private than her personal life. It was easy to often forget that there were people she loved and missed as well. She had always kept her feelings so quiet, constantly persevering, no matter what path was in front of her. It was strange to see her like this now. It was almost humbling, in an odd sort of way. It was humbling, to see the strongest woman I had even known crumble before the person she loved.

"They'll join us in a few seconds." Joan instructed carefully, before nodding for me to walk into the room ahead of her. I passed her without a second of hesitation, and entered the hive of activity that was command.

There were stations everywhere, radio stations that were alive with the sound of clicking instruments and people demanding updates. I heard the capital city of Peidmont mentioned, and then Archeon. I paused for a moment, only to be hurried along by Joan who gave me a nudge from behind. Still further in, there were people at computer stations, typing and reading reports. The farther in we went though, the fewer people there were. The uniforms changed as well. They were less shabby, and more official, many of them even had large white triangles on the sleeve. I filed that away for future use, and made a mental note to figure out what the different uniforms meant, and which ones were the higher ups that I had been writing reports for while I was under Farley.

Joan cuts in front of me at a bend in the walkway, and guides me down a ramp that leads us down into a massive pit where a map of the entire continent is spread across. There are people around it, pushing pieces across the board while also putting new ones on and then taking them off.

Ahead of me, our little group had been shuffled off to the side. The entire group forming almost a box around Evangeline who clung to Shade like her life depended on it. Next to her, Maven was held between Cal and Julian. His bright blue eyes cut around the entire complex and tried to take everything in at once. It was probably the last thing he would get to see before he was locked into a cell.

I stepped around Maggie who was trying unsuccessfully to hide behind Sara, and stood next to Cal. His eyes glanced at me for a moment before he said, "I always imagined Command looking a lot like our compound."

"This is a lot more than I ever expected." I replied, my awe showing through far more than his. There were more people in here than I had seen in two years, and it was obvious that they had been down here for a while. Most of them looked like they hadn't seen the sun in years. Joan passed our group, looking us up and down with an amused expression before she walked up to the table and tapped an older man on the shoulder and whispered in his ear. He waved her away for a moment and then shifted something on the map before turning around. Joan gestured to us and then said, "The Nortians."

The man who stood before us looked haggard, more so than the others around him. His uniform appeared pristine though, and the gleam in his eye as he took us in said he was completely in control of every second of this situation. He stepped toward us, and I swallowed as I took in his stern expression, and the blood red eye that seemed to dominate his features. A vessel must have ruptured in his eye at some point, and left the eye permanently red on the white. As if on instinct, Cal's hand wrapped around my wrist, and he tugged gently, as if he were about to pull me behind him. He did no such thing though, and I remained firmly in place.

"Where is Captain Farley?" He grumbled as he looked down at Maggie. The girl looked him up and down as well for a moment, before sticking her tongue out and ducking behind Sara's legs completely. Cal dropped his hand from my wrist, and grabbing her shoulder, he tugged her closer to him. She looked up at him with a sprinkle of worry in her eyes, before she looked forward again.

"Captain Farley is just outside, speaking with Argot, Sir." Joan spoke with an air of careful consideration as she glanced up at the top of the ramp, probably hoping that Farley was already on her way down.

"Get her in here." He ordered, and Joan clicked the heels of her boots together before hurrying back up the ramp. The man advanced on us then, and for a moment he looked at me, before turning to look at Evangeline. He glanced her oven, pausing for a moment at the mound that her shirt was doing a poor job of hiding, before looking up again and saying, "I was expecting only two silvers, and yet there are five here."

Cal stepped forward then, taking initiative like he always did when he sensed even the slightest hint of a military situation. "Evangeline, Julian, and Sara were last minute editions to our party," he trailed off as he looked over the man's uniform and then said hesitantly, "Colonel..."

"Colonel Farley."

We all glanced over our shoulder to watch Farley descend into the pit. My heart skipped a beat then. I had been under the impression that all of Farley's family had been killed by Silvers. Then again she had never given us an indication that that was true. I supposed in the moment, it had been easiest to believe that she had a hard time getting close to people simply because she was afraid to lose anyone else. But to stand here before her flesh and blood, was a bit chilling. The man was too old to be a brother or a cousin at that, maybe he was an uncle. But the two of them shared the same features it seemed, the same icy blue eyes and thin lips. From the way they looked at each other too, it was obvious that they could only be father and daughter. Without so much as acknowledging this kernel of information that we had all stumbled on, Farley eyed her father for a moment then dipped her head respectfully as she said, "I see you've become acquainted with the group."

"There are five Silvers here, explain." He demanded, not even giving her a moment to pause at the base of the ramp. How very like a father to do, I thought with an internal smile. Farley frowned as she looked our group over as well then, and turning to look at the Colonel again, she said coolly, "The other three were last minute additions. I thought I mentioned that we were bringing three more. I assumed that because you sent an honor guard for one of them, that you understood."

"You neglected to mention that they were Silvers." The word rolled off his tongue like poison, and Evangeline bristled at the sound before pressing closer to Shade and setting her hand on her stomach. The Colonel did not miss the action, and he seemed to catalogue it for later. I had a strange feeling that he seemed to notice everything around him, and that behind those very astute eyes, was a minefield of information. I stepped forward then and replied for Farley though, "Even if she did forget to mention it, the three that came with us are allies. Julian Jacos saved not only my life but Farley's as well, and Sara Skonos helped," I glanced at Evangeline and then getting a tiny nod from her, I continued, "And Evangeline Samos went out with my brother and got the cure that saved an entire cell of the Scarlet Guard from being wiped out by a virus."

For a moment he looked me over as well and then stepped forward to speak to me. Farley watched him with careful consideration as her father said, "I didn't realize that you had the permission to speak out of turn Miss Barrow."

I stiffened in surprise at his tone before replying in shock, "I was just telling you the truth."

He narrowed his eyes dangerously on me and turning to Farley he said, "No wonder you never got anything done in your sector, you let the circus of a hierarchy go unchecked."

"Farley has done everything-" I began, only for the Colonel to turn his attention back on me and spit, "You will learn your place Miss Barrow. You are a soldier, not a member of Command, or a council."

I froze, and Cal pulled me back slowly, his breath warm on my ear as he bent down to whisper, "Stay quiet, let Farley handle this."

I wanted nothing more than to shrug him off and step forward again to defend Farley, but her father appeared to have already moved on. He straightened his uniform and running a hand through his thinning hair, he stated, "Command has been expecting the lot of you, and I won't be the one to upset them. However, should any of you put another toe out of line, we will have problems."

"Colonel Farley please, these are our guests." Said a gentle voice from above us. I tilted my head back to look at the woman who had spoken. She was leaning her arms on the railing, a dark cascade of hair falling over her shoulder. She looked younger than Farley's father, and twice as beautiful. Slowly she crossed to the ramp and descended while looking us over. She seemed particularly interested in Shade, and even more interested in Evangeline. Her eyes remaining on the latter far longer than was necessary. My skin crawled as she turned that calculating gaze on me and then stepping before us, she smiled and gave a little bow before saying, "Westin, at your service," she rose and giving the Colonel a sultry wink, she continued, "I apologize on the behalf of Colonel Farley, he's not used to seeing Silvers out of chains in this compound."

The Colonel merely grumbled, and Westin smiled wickedly at his lack of composure before turning to us once again and saying, "You're safe now though, and Command sends it deepest apologies for not interfering when the virus did reach you. They were sad to say that resources were stretched a bit thin when Captain Farley radioed in for assistance. Our agent also determined that you were not in need of assistance just yet, but by the time she determined you needed it, it was too late."

"Your agent?" Farley demanded as she stepped forward, her eyes stormy. Westin turned to her with a bored expression to match Farley's furious one and then replied, "Yes, an agent of Command was placed among you to keep an eye on Hector, and to monitor the situation."

"Who?" Farley spit as she closed her hands into fists, more furious than ever before. With good reason too, if Command could place a spy in our midst without us knowing, then anyone could have done the same. Westin made it sound like there had been only one member of Command among us, but as I thought back, I couldn't think of who that could have been. Over three fourths of our original numbers had left with Hector to join his Rising Sun group, and the agent could have been any one of those.

"Noel Pershick was sent in early on to monitor the situation and report back to Command exactly what Hector was doing. She pulled out of his group and returned to Command as soon as the situation turned dire for her." Westin replied with a shrug, as if it were unfortunate that such a thing was needed in the first place.

"Noel?" Cal repeated in disbelief, his eyes wide as he registered that fact. Noel had always seemed so genuine about everything though, and have been one Hector's biggest supporters. I supposed that made sense though. To fit in with his group, she would have had to be a fanatic. She had arrived at an odd time too. She hadn't been one of Farley's recruits, and had joined up on her own, after finding us. Which in hindsight should have been odd, considering we should have been impossible to find. We hadn't thought about it though. We had simply been happy to have another body to add to our missions.

Westin glanced at Cal then, a hint of amusement in her eyes as she replied, "Yes, and she sends her deepest apologies for having flirted with you the first time you two met. Her other mission was to keep an eye on you Tiberias, and she figured the best way to do that would be from very close. She miscalculated your feelings for Miss Barrow though, and sends her sincere apologies to both of you," she turned to Evangeline then, "and to Miss Samos as well for having helped aid Hector in almost killing her and Mister Barrow."

"Where is she now?" Shade asked coolly, apparently not fond of Noel even after find all of this out. Westin dipped her head with a light chuckle though and simply said, "Classified."

My brother snorted in response, and Westin grinned at him before noticing Maven between all of us. Her dark eyes widened as her lips pulled up in a true smile upon seeing him. She stepped between us then and reached out to grip Maven by the chin. She stood a few inches taller than him, and with a gentle tug she lifted his head up so that his eyes met hers.

"I'm impressed," she whispered in awe as she looked him over, like someone would inspect a piece of cargo that they had just received for dents or scratches, "You got him all the way here."

"It wasn't easy," Farley supplied as Westin turned Maven's head and caught sight of the dried blood on the back of his neck. With a chuckle as Farley's bitter tone, Westin scratched at the blood with a nail and then inspected the light dusting of it that came off. She turned his head back and then said with a raised brow, "I bet, Commands psyche profile on him stated that he would not go without a fight. I can see that there was a fight."

Cal stiffened behind me, and I reached back to touch his arm and settle him. Westin seemed to miss the movement as she pushed Maven's unruly hair out of his face. The movement was strangely gentle, like a mother with a child. I highly doubted that Elara had ever committed such a soft action though. To his credit, Maven did not falter, he simply returned Westin's smile and said, "So you will be deciding how I die?"

Westin laughed at that and then dropping Maven's chin she said, "Oh no silly boy, I'm simply an emissary. The Council is on its way here to judge you. Until then, they had deemed that he is to remain under careful guard."

The Colonel nodded, as if he had known the whole time. With a simple gesture, a group of guards that I had not noticed before bleed out of the shadows and filtered between us until they made a box around Maven. Two of them took him by the arms and guided him forward then, the whole group taking him out of our sight. As if he sensed our sudden unease at no longer being in control of his situation, he threw a wicked grin over his shoulder as us. As he did so though, he caught my eye. His grin turned feral and he gave me a wink before one of the guards forced him to turn his head and keep it facing forward.

An odd wave of worry washed over me, and I glanced at Westin before asking, "Are you sure they'll be able to keep him in a secure place?"

Those dark eyes turned back on me, and with a slight tilt to her head she replied in a soft whisper that sent shivers down my spine, "You have nothing to fear Miss Barrow, Maven Calore will be dealt with."

(/)

Joan led us down multiple hallways, all marked with signs of use and long standing wear and tear. The peeling paint on the walls was faint and looked like it hadn't been redone in years, but it was better than the rock walls we had grown accustomed to in the mountain compound. A number of people stared at us as we walked through here as well. A few Red men leered at Cal and Julian was we walked by, and although Julian was taken aback by the show of disrespect and aggression, Cal was not affected in the slightest. He had gone through it before, and he had dealt with it then, and he would deal with it now. I slid my hand into his, and gave his fingers a gentle squeeze as we kept walking. He glanced down at me and I saw the corner of his lips quirk up in the slightest of smiles before he turned his attention forward again.

We paused in a large circular dead end, with three doors. Joan gestured to one of them and then flicking the switch next to the door, she opened it to reveal a small room with a few bunkbeds, a rusted sink and a small table with a few rickety chairs. Sara stepped in hesitantly to look around and then turned around and said softly, "It's too small of a space for seven people."

"It's the biggest accommodations, and it's better if you all stay together instead of us splitting you up." Joan said as she ushered us in so that we weren't standing in the doorway and attracting more attention than necessary. Maggie ran to one of the bed and leaped up onto it before crawling across it. I entered next, glancing at the dingy quarters, and then murmured, "Are you worried something will happen?"

"The Colonel thinks its best if you stay together." She said, simply rephrasing her last comment. I frowned at that, but didn't say anything else. It was obvious we weren't as welcome here as we had originally thought. I wondered if it was because of the Silvers or for another reason that had yet to be revealed.

Joan waited until we had all entered the room and then said carefully, "The Colonel will speak with you about everything as soon as he has time, until then he asks that if you need to be taken somewhere you call me over the radio and let me escort you." With that she dipped her head politely and then closed the door.

"How much do you want to bet she locked the door?" Evangeline grumbled as she sank onto one of the empty bottom bunks. She kicked off her boots and then crawled a little father back so that she could massage her feet and ankles. Shade sank down next to her and took over that job as he replied softly, "I'd say we're lucky we got the welcome we ended up with."

"I figured they would be a little kinder," Sara said in disbelief as she brushed off the table. Cal set one of the packs down and then crossing the room to me, he wrapped his arm around my shoulders slowly and pressed a light kiss on my hair. His words were meant for me when he whispered against my hairline, "I have a feeling you and I should speak with the Colonel, and quickly."

Nodding slowly, I patted his hand softly and then announced to the group, "Alright, let's get settled and try to make the most of this."  
"I'm glad you're so cheerful and optimistic," Evangeline grumbled as she sank back onto the bed and closed her eyes, probably to nap. I sighed at her tone though, and then dropped my own pack next to Cal's. Cal smiled though and replied for me, "Someone has to be."

Maggie rolled onto her back at that and put her boots on the bottom of the top bunk before saying, "I miss the other compound. I want to go home."

"We'll go home soon," Cal whispered as he eyed her muddy boots on the mesh. She followed his eyes to them and then slowly lowered them and rolled again so that she could kick them off.

(/)

It was late that night when we finally settled. Below me and Cal, I could hear Shade snoring softly. Across from us on the other bed, Maggie slept on the bottom bunk, while Julian and Sara slept above her. It was cramped quarters indeed. I could hear every single breath and sound that everyone made as they slept; after almost a year of sleeping in a room alone with Cal, it felt odd to sleep in a room full of people with him.

The bed creaked and I felt his arm slide around my waist before pulling me closer. I set my hand on his then, and caressing the skin softly with my thumb, I murmured, "I have a bad feeling about all of this."

He made a sound between a sigh and mumble, and I took it as him agreeing. We fall to silence again, until his lips trace the skin of my shoulder up to my neck and finally to my ear. He squeezes me tightly and then breathes, "But we'll get through it, whatever comes. We always do."

"I don't know anymore." I reply, as I slowly roll over to face him. He adjusts his legs to make space for mine. The bed is small, small enough that Cal has his back pressed up against the wall when we lie like this. His legs tangle with mine as we try to make as much space as possible, and eventually we give up and just settle into the most comfortable position possible. Reaching up between us, I push his hair out of his eyes and then slowly touch my forehead to his. "What I said on the train, Cal, about it all being just a dream?"

He sighs, and mumbles sleepily, "What about it?"

I pause for a moment uncertain what to say. We shouldn't keep playing this game, we shouldn't keep dancing around the truth. It was so much easier to do that though, to pretend that the future was never going to happen, that we would be together until the day we died. I inhale slowly, stealing the breath he exhales and then tracing the line of his cheek with my nose I breathe, "You're the only dream I've ever chased."

He doesn't respond, and it's then the I feel the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest. He's asleep, and probably has been for the past few minutes. I sigh at that and then tuck my head underneath his chin, so that my forehead is pressed against the spot where I can feel the steady beat of his pulse. He doesn't move as I slide my hand to grip the fabric of his shirt, and let out a soft sigh as I closed my eyes. Sleep evades me though, and I end up barely dosing as my thoughts race. There are more than a few secrets about this place, and this command council, and about the people here. Farley had not joined us in these quarters, and she was either with Ellie, or dealing with her father. Either way, she had not joined us. She was our Captain, and she was not with us. It seemed suspiciously like they were trying to separate us, and something about that made my skin crawl, and not just with unease. Eventually, I began to fall asleep, but my dreams were twisted and barbed with fear and shadows.

 _ **A/N**_

 _ **Sorry about how long it took to get this out. I was having some trouble getting the story going again after such a long break from it. I'm going to try my best to finish it before I have to go back to school though. (: Also, we got a lot of new cameos in the this one, not to worry they're all important.**_

 _ **Question:**_

 _ **Any thoughts on Samson's plan? It'll come into play in chapter 8 (;**_


	9. Chapter 7

Gold as the Crown Chapter 7

 _(/_ _ **Cal**_ _/)_

I sat at the round table in a large meeting room, my finger slowly tapping on the polished black granite table top. Mare stood behind me, looking at one the many maps on the wall. I kept my eyes on the door, waiting for it to open and for Colonel Farley to walk in finally. We had demanded a meeting with him the day after we had settled into our quarters. It had taken a week to finally get it, but we had gotten it, and now we were simply waiting for it to begin.

I heard Mare sigh, and glancing at her over my shoulder I asked softly, "What is it?"

She hugged her elbows to her chest and then whispered to the map she was looking at, "Have you ever thought about how massive the continent is… how massive the world is?"

A small smile tugged at the corner of my lips, and I reached out to brush my fingers along her lower back, drawing her attention to me. She turned slowly and then said, "I mean the world is _huge_ , there are so many place we know nothing about…"

Reaching up slowly, I slipped my fingers in hers, and then brought her hand to my lips. I pressed a light kiss against her knuckles and then whispered against them, "I would explore every corner with you, you know that."

She smiled softly, but something haunted those gorgeous deep brown eyes. I felt my smile fall as I saw that, and then pulling her a little closer, I looked up and said, "What's wrong, what's really wrong?"

"Cal-" She began, but the door opened suddenly, letting in an explosion of sound from the corridor outside that stopped her from speaking. We both looked over to see Colonel Farley closing the door behind him. Dressed in his military uniform, which seemed to be the usual, he looked even more haggard than before. He looked us over for a second, those perceptive blue irises that he shared with his daughter scanning us like a vulture would a carcass. His lip curling slightly as he took in my casual stance. It was no secret that he did not like me, Julian, Sara, and Evangeline, no matter what we had done for the Guard so far. _We have nothing to prove to any of them,_ Julian had whispered to Sara as we were led into the mess hall by Joan yesterday. There was always something to prove though. You had to prove your intentions were the same, that your dreams matched the others, that you were just as gritty and resilient as the Reds that you worked among; in order to demonstrate that you were with them, and not against them. It was an exhausting process, and two years ago, I had worked through it. I didn't want to think about having to do it again.

"What is the meaning of this?" The Colonel growled as he gestured to us and the room with a sweeping hand. Mare rested her hands on my shoulders and squeezing softly, she said, "This is a meeting to prove your good faith."

" _My_ good faith?" The Colonel sputtered as he stepped up to the table, his eyes like ice as he jabbed his finger on top of the table and hissed, "I have given you all the _good faith_ you should need. I brought you into this compound, I could have very easily kept you out. I could have thrown your little Silver friends into the bushes to fend for themselves, instead I choose to let them stay."

"Because Command gave you an order to let us come in together." I replied, trying to feign calm. He had inadvertently threatened the group that we had come with, and demonstrated his intentions within the first few seconds of this conversation. I stiffened as I thought about his words though. The only thing standing between us and him, was a loose order from Command that the Silvers were to stay with the Reds. It so easily could be revoked, and we could just as easily be removed. Evangeline, that was the first name that came to mind, we would have to find a place for her to stay, a place for her to give birth. Command would likely not let go of Shade, not now that they knew he was a New Blood, and how much information he had. Evangeline would give birth alone, in a barn probably, and then we would have to find a place to hide her and the child. It was terrifying how much hinged on us remaining here.

The Colonel pointedly ignored my comment, choosing to look at Mare, who narrowed her eyes and said coolly, "Cal is right, the only reason you let us all in together was because Command told you to do so."

"What is the point of questioning my intentions then? I share the same views as Command." He replied with stiff shoulder and narrowed eyes. I shifted in my chair, eyes narrowing as well, before I leaned forward and placed my forearms on the table. "We don't want any trouble, we brought you Maven, and we came quietly with no fight. All we want is to stay safe and to continue providing for the Guard like we always have."

He sniffed at my words and then drumming his fingers on the table top he murmured, "A pretty speech from a Prince."

"It's not just a pretty speech," Mare snipped back, her body tensing as she continued, "Cal has given everything, he's fought alongside us, and has been-"

"Because he had nowhere else to go in the beginning, I read Captain Farley's reports." He replied just as quickly, before standing straight again, his eyes grinning along with him. I raised my chin in response to that posture and stated, "I had the choice to leave though, and I chose to stay, I chose to fight."

He sneered at my words, and Mare gripped my shoulders tighter. He would never trust us, never trust me, or any of the other Silvers for that matter. As terrible as that felt after I had worked so hard to ensure that my intentions were clearly in line with the Guard's, it should have been expected. Farley had taken a lot of convincing in the first place to trust me, it was probably an ideology that had been passed from father to daughter. All that we would be able to do was to weather the storm, and keep moving forward, a plan of action that had slowly become exactly how I lived. Nothing really seemed to bother me anymore, nothing surprised me. It was an odd sensation to say that least, I used to lay awake at night wondering if it was a problem that I felt that way. If it was bad to never be bothered by anything, or if it was exactly how I would need to live to get through all this.

His eyes narrow on us, and they don't leave as he slowly pulls his chair back and sinks down into it. Mare taking the hint, slowly sinks into the chair next to mine. Her eyes wary as she slips her hand into mine on the table. I squeeze her hand softly, my eyes scanning the room to meet hers. We keep eye contact and only break it when the Colonel begins tapping his finger on the table top again. My eyes snap to him and I shift in my seat for a moment before daring to ask, "What is going to happen to my br- to Maven?"

I almost slip up, almost associate myself with the man he hates. Not that that would have changed his opinion of me, but I couldn't be too careful anymore. Sure enough, Mare squeezes my hand tighter and glanced at me out of the corner of her eye. The Colonel narrows his eyes and stops tapping his fingers. "The King will be dealt with, the situation is no longer in your hands. You handed him over to us for custody and Command will deal with it as command sees fit."

"We want to know if we'll be needed for a trial." Mare whispers, her eyes dropping to the table top. The Colonel raises his brow in surprise at her reaction and then asks, "Trial?"

"Yes, are we going to have to testify?" I asked as well. I didn't know if I could do that. If I could stand before my brother and tell a jury what he had done. He may have done horrible things, but he was my brother still. I wasn't sure if I could handle watching my brother be sentenced to death.  
The Colonel leaned back in his seat, his lips curling up into a smile as he said, "I'm not sure. It will depend on what Command decides. They may decide on a closed council with only the testimony of the reports that were made, or they may decide on an open trial, where everyone is present. They may even broadcast it."

My heart clenched. I didn't want our group there if they were broadcasting. I didn't need out faces plastered all over the place. I didn't need Maggie's face plastered everywhere. It was too late for me and Mare, but it wasn't too late to keep her protected. People only knew her by name, not by face. It was better that way too. It's harder to hunt down a name than it is a face.

"But that is entirely up to the Council. They'll be arriving shortly, and I'm sure they'll let you know what they decide early on so that you can prepare." He continued his eyes flickering to Mare who looked extremely uncomfortable with the whole topic. Without a doubt, the same thoughts that were going through my mind were probably going through hers as well. Something about that was unsettling for me too. I wanted nothing more than to cut down anything in her path to her happiness, but sometimes, I felt like I was one of those obstacles, more so now than ever. I reached up and massaged the bridge of my nose as I thought about that, and felt a pounding headache starting to form between my brows.

The radio on the Colonel's belt chirped and he glanced down at it before standing and saying, "If you two are done, I have other work to be doing."

Mare bristled at the dismissal, and I frowned before standing quickly, pulling my hand from hers. She looked at me in surprise and I spoke quickly, to keep the Colonel's attention before he left, "We want to take missions while we're here. We're not exactly the kind of people to just sit around."

He frowned and looked us both over. With a huff he clicked on his radio and then held it up to listen to the spew of information that came through. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Mare staring at me in disbelief. I didn't turn my head to look down at her though. We hadn't talked about taking missions while we were here, but I had a feeling there were things going on around here, and the best way to figure them out was to get up close and personal with them. I set my hand on her shoulder reassuringly, a silent promise that I would explain later. Sure enough, she softened slightly, these gestures having become a language that only the two of us understand.

The Colonel shuts off the radio and puts it back on his belt for before turning to look at us again. He chews on the inside of his cheek for a moment before chuckling softly to himself. With a tight smile, he dips his head and says, "By all means, sign up for a mission. I'll approve of it."

"Thank you," I replied, only for him to shake his head and step toward the door. Opening it, he glances over his shoulder at us and says with a low laugh, "No, thank _you._ We always need more soldiers."

 _(/_ _ **Evangeline**_ _/)_

I walked the halls of the compound, keeping a close eye on Maggie next to me, who was poking her head in all of the doors like the nosey little thing she was. She'd make a spectacular spy if we could only train her in the art. She glanced back at me, having probably heard the thought I'd broadcasted loud enough for Samson to hear back in Norta. She grinned at the prospect and then dancing up to my side to avoid a group of people walking along side us, she said, "I could help more if you'd teach me."

"I was never a spy, the Iral family was most well known for their spy work. My family was more the brute force that the King could use to bring people to bear." I replied as I glanced down at the girl who was starting to not be so little anymore. She must have sprouted another inch or two because she was starting to approach my ribs in height. I'd heard Sara grumbling about it this morning when she looked at the hems of Maggie's pants which were a little too high off the floor, and when she'd seen the sleeves of the young whisperer's shirt which were a little too snug and little too short. She was getting bigger, taller and more filled out. She was going to be a beautiful young woman when she got older, if she even got to live that long. First we had to get through this war, and then she could get older.

"But you must have known something about being a spy," Maggie insisted as she turned to walk ahead of me, those bright eyes meeting mine and holding my stare like that awkward habit of she had started doing now that she could see. I rolled my eyes as her comment and then turning down another hall, I said, "Just because I might know how to do something doesn't mean I should show you. I could be wrong."  
She huffed in annoyance and stopped, her arms crossed in annoyance. I stopped as well, and massaging my temple softly I said, "Don't do this now, I'm trying to find the medical center and I don't have time for you to throw a tantrum."

"Perhaps I can take you."

I turned to look over my shoulder and Maggie glanced around me with a frown as Westin approached us. Her uniform looked as immaculate as I remembered it being when we had first met her. Her shiny black hair was pulled back into a low ponytail that swayed slowly behind her as she walked. I blinked in surprise for a moment, and then glanced above our head. Swiveling toward us was camera, and I blew an exasperated sigh through my nose. Of course, they must have been watching us the whole time, and had sent her because we had stepped into an out of bounds area.

Westin smiled at me before looking me over as well, her gaze a little bit to searching for my comfort. It made me want to slowly cover my body up, and without thinking, I crossed my arms over my chest a heartbeat later. My movement made her smile and then stepping a little closer she said, rather innocently for someone of her position, "I'll take you to the medical center, I'm afraid your walking in the wrong direction."

I shifted and then glanced at Maggie whose lips were pursed in what looked like confusion. Eventually she looked up at me, her eyes darker now, as if she had come to a very worrisome conclusion. I put my hand on her shoulder to steady her and then said, "Thank you, we'd like that very much."

Westin smiled and then beckoned for me to follow her the way we had come. My skin crawled as I walked next to her with Maggie trailing right behind me, her eyes boring into Westin's back as we walked.

The woman led us through the compound, and without a moment of hesitation, she glanced at me and then asked, "And how are you feeling?"

"Um, well I'm fine." I stumbled, and she looked extremely doubtful of my response. She tilted her head to the side slightly as we rounded the corner and replied, "Then what are you going to the medical center for?"

I clenched my hand into a fist as my side while my other hand reached up to brush my stomach, my baby shifted slowly and I felt a soft flutter as it stretched its tiny body and tried to kick. My heart beat a little faster at that fact, and Westin gave a very political cough to tell me that I had been silent for far too long. I started in surprise at the sound and then dropping my hand I said, "I was hoping they might have a specific vitamin. The healer we're traveling with mentioned it and said that it might be a good idea to try and see if they have it." I couldn't tell her the real reason for my little venture out of the safety of the room. Mare and Cal had been shifty and uncertain about things after their meeting with the Colonel earlier that morning and had set up small groups to go out and poke around in the compound. They wanted us to look as inconspicuous as possible, so Shade had gone out with Cal, with the story that they were looking for a training room. Mare, Sara, and Julian had gone out together, saying they were just taking a walk to stretch their legs. Maggie and I had been the last group, and we were the ones that Cal seemed to think would be the least likely to be caught. He had smiled and said that it was because she was a child, and I was… pregnant. People wouldn't suspect us of much if we were together. Maggie had bounced around the room at the opportunity to do something other than sit in the room, and I had been forced to deal with that enthusiasm for the past few days. Sara had given me a smile as we left and whispered, "Think of it as good practice for the future."

Now, I felt my skin crawling as Westin thought about my story, her astute eyes gleaming as if she knew exactly what I had been doing. No doubt she had, the woman seemed to have the odd ability to pop up in the right place at the exact right time. Still, she didn't say anything about it, simply glanced down at my stomach and smiled. I frowned and set my hand on the heaviest part again. There was nothing threatening at all about the look, but something about it screamed wrong to me. She didn't seem to notice that at all, and instead looked straight ahead again and said, "It must be so exciting, knowing that you are expecting a baby. I can't remember the last time someone here had a baby."

I frowned at that, and then said coolly, "I'm not having my baby here."

"No, of course you're not. Command wants you to have the baby somewhere safe," Westin replied innocently with a smile.

"Command?" I repeated, my stomach dropping in an uneasy terror. What could the Command for the Scarlet Guard want to do with my baby? I glanced at her, the hair on my arms rising as my instincts kicked in, the need to defend the life inside of me suddenly becoming overpowering.

Westin turned another corner and smiling gently, she assured, "There's nothing to worry about, you must understand that you and Mister Barrow are a very interesting case. We did not peg the two of you in your psyche profiles as the ones who would do this. It was always assumed Mare and Cal would be the ones we would be dealing with."

"Mare and Cal have never talked about having kids." I replied stiffly, as Westin came to a stop before a door. Maggie gripped my wrist tightly and looking up at Westin she said, "Mare doesn't want to have babies yet, she told Cal that."

Westin gave the little girl a tight lipped grin and then looking back at me she said, "It's no matter, at the moment, keeping Evangeline safe and healthy is our number one priority."

I took a hesitant step back, Westin's eyes looked horrifically like those of a shark that was circling an animal in the water. Maggie gripped my wrist tighter as her chest rose and fell rapidly against my side. I pushed her further behind me, and slowly forced the bracelet around my wrist to unlink itself and slide down into my hand.

Taking another step toward me, Westin closed the space between us and whispered softly, "We want nothing more than to make sure that the rest of your pregnancy is healthy and that the birth and delivery go as smoothly as possible. That is why you are here, and why you must remain here, where we can keep an eye on you, incase anything were to happen."

I inhaled slowly, trying to calm fraying nerves. Westin took a step back though, and eyed the glint of the makeshift knife in my hand. She gave it a pitying smile, and then looking up at me again, she said, "You have nothing to fear from us, we only want the best for you and the baby," she glanced down at Maggie then and said, "the future has always been the most important part of Command's mission, the children of tomorrow are our most treasured resource."

She spoke about those children like they were a simple object in a bartering system, like they were something that had been earned and would be given. I felt my lips pucker in distaste, and then raising my chin in defiance I asked in a hushed whisper, "And what about all the Silver children you seem to think are going to be monsters some day?"

Westin's smile fell slowly, and for the first time a dark shadow passed over her eyes. In a heartbeat the shadow was gone though, and I wondered for a moment if I had just imagined it. Her brow rose as she thought about my accusation and then dipping her head respectfully to my point, she said, "Their future is of grave important as well."

I didn't believe for one second that that was the truth, but I couldn't exactly go about shouting that it wasn't. We had to keep a low profile, and run under the radar. Questioning everything Westin said was probably not the best way to do that. She was obviously in a very high position of authority, judging by what she said and how she carried herself. In fact, she could be the deciding factor in whether or not we stayed in the compound. We needed to stay here, _I_ needed to stay here. She was right, the safest place to have my baby would be here. But that was months away, and I had a feeling I was going to have a hard time keeping my mouth shut around here, especially with people who would rather I keeled over and died.

Westin smiled again though and then gesturing through the doors into the medical center, that looked to be oddly empty, she said, "Please, don't let me keep you from doing what you came to do."

I couldn't move though, I felt like I was rooted the spot while I tried to determine what about her set me off. Maggie tugged on my wrist, whispering urgently, "Come on Evangeline, come on."

She pulled me away from Westin who gave me another grin and then glanced down at my stomach once more, her expression twisting with a flash of genuine joy. The expression sent my mind into a tailspin of panic, and I couldn't understand why. Maybe she was genuinely happy that there was going to be a baby born in a compound where I had not seen any children under ten. Or maybe my intuition was right, and there were foul forces at play. I wouldn't be surprised.

We had come all this way though, and we had hoped there would be safety, and there was. Sure it wasn't what we had all dreamed it would be, but when is anything ever what we dream it to be? When is the ocean as blue as we remember it, or the sky as open and free as we once believed? Someday, the windowpanes we would lean on to stare at the stars become the bars of a cage, and we pace them like animals, desperate to find that freedom again, to chase the dream we used to pursue with a reverence that bordered on obsessive. Even if we climbed through that window though, we would always find a wall or a fence, anything to keep us confined. It was an odd little thought, because in reality, shouldn't we want to dream? As humans were we not hard wired to reach for the stars? So why this, why this hesitation? I supposed it was to prevent the pain we knew was coming, because how could a simple mortal reach for the stars and catch them? We couldn't, no matter how hard we dreamed, ever reach those immortal lights. We could chase until our legs gave out and our heart ceased to beat, but we would only ever touch those glowing orbs of fire when the final bar of mortality was removed from in front of us, and our cage finally collapsed.

As we entered the medical center, I glanced over my shoulder to see that Westin had turned and walked back down the hall from which we had come. Her dark hair swaying like a silken sheet behind her. She was like a shadow herself, blending into the thickening crowd, before vanishing entirely. My stomach turned at that, as if she were a predator that had slipped among the brush and was just waiting for me to turn my back so that she could pounce. It was a stupid thought to have, considering she could have hurt me at any point in time while we were walking here, but I couldn't shake that feeling. I liked to think I prided myself on my intuitions about people, and very rarely was I wrong in that suit. The feeing I had when Westin was around felt like a slimy feeling in my gut, and it only grew the more time I spent around her. I wondered if it was because of her lingering stares, or her odd little comments, or if I was just uncomfortable with being the center of her attention. It certainly seemed like I was, and I had always hidden how much I hated being in the center. In the past, I had kept my eyes forward, and maintained a cool indifference, like a queen would have to have done, but I had lost the skill during my time with the Guard. I had learned with them that I didn't need the mask, I could function just as well without it, if not better. Now more than ever I wished for it though, if only to hide how off Westin made me feel.

"Her mind was so quiet." Maggie whispered, and I glanced down at the young girl who looked sheet white, her eyes wide in terror. Slowly I crouched down and taking her arms tightly in my grip, I whispered, "What?"

"Westin, her mind was like… like the dark… all empty… there were no… no thoughts… I couldn't read them." The girl pulled away from me to slowly lean against the wall before sliding down, her arms coming up to wrap around her middle. I blinked in surprise and then asked urgently, "What do you mean you couldn't read her thoughts?"

"I meant that I couldn't read them," Maggie spit, "It was like looking at a blank piece of paper and trying to read something that's not there. It was like she was shielding, or not thinking at all." She shivered as the prospect and then looked over my shoulder. I followed her eyes and saw a one of the nurses eyeing us, her curiosity carefully masked with indifference. I glared at her, and she turned away, obviously surprised at the fire behind my stare.  
Sighing at the curiosity of the others that had piqued after noticing me and Maggie in the room, I turned back to the girl and then said, "Don't mention it to anyone. We'll talk about it with Mare and Cal later."

She nodded quickly, and then tugging on my hand so that I was crouching in front of her, she whispered, "She's really interested in the baby though, isn't she? She kept looking down at your belly."

I set my hand on my stomach then and caressing it with my thumb I replied hesitantly, "Yeah, she was. And since you can't read her mind, it really bothers me."

"Cause she could be lying?" Maggie asked innocently, already less naive than most children her age. I shrugged and then rose to my feet, my eyes scanning the room to find a nurse who wasn't the one rolling bandages and pretending not to be listening in on our conversation. She glanced up and met my eye, and I narrowed mine in response, turning on the dignified aura I still knew how to conjure. Immediately she looked away, trying to find a spot on the table in front of her that was more interesting than us.

I held my hand out to Maggie, letting her take it. She gripped it tightly and I glanced down at her as I said, "It bothers me because she could have an ulterior motive."

Maggie simply gripped my hand tighter in understanding, and nodded.

 _(/_ _ **Scarlet Guard Command Center, Trial**_ _/)_

Maven wanted nothing more than to yank his arms out of the grip that the soldiers had on him, but he forced himself to remain cool and composed. This was the first time they had taken him out of his cell in days, or maybe it had been weeks. He wasn't entirely sure anymore. It had certainly been a long time, judging by how grimy he felt.

They led him down long hallways, with dim florescent lights that flickered overhead, but eventually, those lights became brighter as they left the more vacant halls behind. Even then, the halls they walked down were almost empty, the only people he passed were more guards, who stood at stiff attention as he was led further into the compound. Making a mental map of all the hallways, and of the doors they went through, Maven tried to determine whether or not it would be beneficial to make a run for it. At the moment, there seemed to be a lot more hallways than he could remember, and a lot more soldiers than he could fight. So, with a resigned sigh, he decided to stay put and bide his time. Besides, maybe this Council he was being taken to was somewhat merciful. He highly doubted it. He'd killed quite a few people, and done everything in his power to make the Scarlet Guard suffer, not to mention beat the Reds down underneath his boot. No, they would not be merciful.

He was brought into a small side room with a dark stone table, and chairs on both sides. The walls of the room were dark stone and the light was low as well. It was almost calm, peaceful in mood, and he chuckled as he thought about that. The soldiers shoved him down into the seat and then attached his binders to a bar in the table. He glanced at them and then leaned back in the chair, feeling his side smart. He'd been sleeping on a hard cot at night, and his side had suffered the most, and dark bruises had formed up and down his side in response. He wondered for a moment if Cal had suffered similar treatment in his first months with the Guard. No doubt his brother was sleeping well now, cocooned in a bed with Mare Barrow. His lip curled at that thought, at the fact that the two of them were probably entangled, sharing skin and sharing breath. It was his own fault though. He'd pushed them closer, and pushed her farther from him with every kill and every act. It didn't matter anymore though, all that mattered was getting his revenge against them. He'd tried turning them against one another, and that had barely worked. It had only seemed to piss the two of them off, before they talked it over like damn sensible adults.

There were other ways to rip them apart though.

The door opened and he looked up through long, untamed hair, to see a woman enter. Westin, he recalled, as she slowly sank down in the seat across from him. In her hands were files, thick ones too, with papers that were marked with multiple tabs. Without a second of hesitation, she set them on the table and fanned them out. He glanced down at them and then raised his brow as he took in the pictures on the front. His brother, Mare Barrow, Evangeline Samos, Barrow's brother, and the little girl that traveled with them all looked back at him. With a snort he leaned back in his seat again and then said, "What do you want me to do with those?"

"I want you to help me fill in some gaps," Westin said coolly. Gone was the friendly, sweet demeanor that she had worn for the whole group. Her hair had been pulled back into a tight bun on top of her hair, and her eyes were like shards of black ice as she stared him down across the table.

Chuckling, Maven leaned forward in his seat, placing one fist inside of his other hand, he rested his elbows on the table in a relaxed posture and asked, "What's in it for me if I offer said information?"  
Westin smirked and then leaning back, she lifted her leg to rest her ankle on a knee as she replied, "Freedom of movement."

Now Maven's interest was piqued. Whatever he knew, they wanted it desperately, and they were willing to let him out of a cell to get it? He smirked, his grin matching Westin's as he slowly reached out with a finger and pulled the little girl's file toward him. He fingers it open and then flipped through the pages for a little bit, digesting everything that was in there. She was at least ten years old now, if the information in the file was correct, and she was considered a level 5 out of 6 on an Ardent scale. Maven frowned at that and then lifting his eyes he asked, "What is an Ardent?"

"The proper term for what you call New Bloods," Westin replied as she checked her nails, "They are ranked on a scale from one to six, six being hydrogen bomb deadly, and one being useless. The girl is one of three fives that we know of."

"Who are the other two?" Maven inquired innocently as he flipped another page and looked at multiple pictures they had of her. There she was sitting at a mess hall table with his brother, Mare Barrow, and the Barrow brother. She looked to be busy playing with whatever food was in front of her while the others at the table spoke in what looked like urgent tones. The time stamp on the picture said it was taken almost two years ago, around the time he had made the announcement that he was going to marry Evangeline. Interesting, he mused, this must have been provided by the agent they'd placed. Sure enough, the next pictured showed the girl looking directly into the camera, her eyes like white splotches in the poorly taken photo. But she was looking nonetheless, she had known she was being watched.

Westin tilted her head to the side, and Maven watched as the shadows bent across her features, making her cheek bones more prominent and her eyes all the brighter. With a self-satisfied smirk, she replied to his question, "My cousin and myself."

Maven didn't even blink at that. This Council obviously wouldn't have sent just anyone to deal with all this, so it only made sense that Westin was here. Still, someone as powerful as her should have been terrifying. Maven had grown up around wolves though, had been raised by one, it was nothing new to stand in front of one again.

"I see," he drawled before sliding Mare Barrow's folder toward him. Hers was far thicker, and there were multiple official stamps on the front. He read through the psyche profile they had on her, chuckling at how they went about describing her as impulsive, and then glanced down to see her rankings.

"She's only a three?" He inquired as he glanced up at Westin in surprise, the only genuine emotion he had shown since he had been sat down. Westin smiled and then tapping her nail softly against the polished stone surface of the table, she replied, "Miss Barrow has only begun to unlock her abilities, we have electricons located at other bases that are level four, and one that borders on a five. The little girl, she could be a six someday, with proper direction."

Maven leaned back casually then, the binders on his wrists yanking uncomfortably as he tried to do so. Ignoring the pain though, he began to sort through what he knew so far. These people, this Council, seemed highly interested in Ardents, in ranking them, and pushing them to the limits of their abilities. They were not making soldiers; they were making weapons. And it appeared as if they were not privy to letting that information out easily. If they knew this much though, why did they want what he knew? Surely, it was worth less to nothing compared to what they already had.

"If you want something on Barrow, I have nothing that you don't already know," he said simply. His curiosity over what Westin was digging for coming to the front. They already had everything on Mare, back to when she had first been found by Farley in the Stilts and had apparently demanded passage for herself and her friend. He had no new information to give them.

Westin clicked her tongue for a second in disagreement and then stated coolly, "We don't just want information on Barrow, we want something on your brother too, particularly the extent of his relationship with Miss Barrow. Unfortunately, we were not able to place an operative that could get close enough to tell us exactly how… intimate their relationships is."

Maven let out a barking laugh at that, an intelligence agency that seemed to deal in secrets couldn't get behind a locked door. His brother had always been very protective of his private life though, and Barrow appeared to share a similar trait. He could understand Westin's frustration, in the time he had spent with his brother and their little rag tag group, he hadn't once seen Mare and his brother acting intimately. They did not hold hands, or cling to each other like love sick puppies, and they didn't so much as kiss. But that lack of physical intimacy was contrasted with something else, a sense that the two of them knew each other down to the very nerves that ran through their bodies. Was that was Mare had been referring to when she's mentioned that there was something there that couldn't be forced?

"I don't think they've done anything beyond lying next to each other." Maven said with a confident smirk. For two people that loved each other so intensely, they certainly hadn't done much to show it to the world. As if she was not pleased with his response, Westin clicked her tongue again, and then setting her chin in her hand, she asked, "Do you think it's possible to push them to consummate their relationship?"

Something in him turned ice cold at that question. It was hardly innocent. There were much larger forces at play here, some that even he couldn't see. He had a sneaking suspicious that no one really saw this far behind the curtain though, that he was being given some very specific kernels of information. Command wanted his brother and Mare to sleep together, wanted something from them, what could they possibly want with that? If they wanted to see what came out of that action, they had Evangeline and Shade Barrow's mistake to look at for study. Something clicked then, and Maven felt his lips curl up into a feral grin as he peeled another layer back from the gilded image the Guard tried to project.

"You're looking for a breeding pool." He laughed as he said it, at the irony of the thought. He'd teased his brother about the very same thing, about him and Mare crawling into their bed and breeding like animals. His brother had balked at the accusation and had almost crushed his windpipe in response. But here they were, with the Guard trying to instigate that exact situation.

Westin snorted and brushed a fleck of dust off her pant leg. "You make it sound like we are breeding dogs or race horses. The Council and I prefer to think of it as engineering the future," her eyes flashed darkly at the inference she was making. She rose slowly from her chair and then pacing around the table to him, she spoke smoothly, "Ardents are a product of evolution, a mistake in the genome of a Red. It's uncontrollable and completely unpredictable."

"Ah yes, and you want it to be predictable," Maven replied as he eyed her cat-like approach toward him. Westin smirked as she slowly leaned against that table and looked down at him. Her smile was chilling as she tilted her head to the side and cooed, "But of course, man has always sought to control. Nature is the last great frontier and we are expanding rapidly into it. We are seeking the next step in evolution, the next leap forward for mankind."

Maven raised a brow at that, but didn't say anything. The council she was speaking of certainly didn't like him then, if he was going out and killing their champion horses like they were hogs in a slaughter house. He'd never once thought about them as anything but a threat though. Ardents had always appeared too dangerous to let them live, so he'd gone out of his way to remove them. Now though, he was learning they were the next step in human evolution, a spring board for the future. He felt his cheeks ache as his lips pulled up into another smile. He'd been looking at the hog as an animal, and not a source of meat. He'd been looking through the wrong lens the whole time.

Westin's eyes lit up with her features as she said, "You're quick, much quicker than we thought."

"I'm not sure whether to thank you or pretend like you didn't speak," Maven murmured as he glanced down at the files again. He leaned forward and massaged his wrists slowly thinking this whole thing over. It was obvious they wanted to use him, that was where his freedom of movement would come into play. If they wanted him to play matchmaker and push his brother and Mare closer together, they had another thing coming. He did not want his brother and Mare together, in fact, he wanted them as far apart as possible. A baby between them would only cement their relationship. It would leave absolutely not room for him to wiggle his way back in. He straightened up at that, filled with a new fiery zeal as he said, "And you think my brother and Mare will produce you a powerful new line?"

"Yes, the numbers determine it."

"What numbers? You can't predict everything, there are some elements of the universe that can't be controlled," Maven corrected coolly as he dragged his brother's file toward him and opened it, thinking the answer was somewhere in there. Westin laughed at his comment though and pulling the other files toward her so that he couldn't reach them, she replied, "But of course we can predict it. Mare Barrow's rank is high enough as it is, and her burgeoning abilities suggest that her rank will only increase. Not to mention your family line is impossibly pure. It would be like putting two purebred horses together. The offspring is likely to be a champion. It's what we've been developing, a theory."

Maven frowned as he thought about Evangeline and her child. "Theories can be proven wrong if there is evidence to the contrary." The Magnetron was powerful, and Shade Barrow was Mare's brother they were of the same bloodline that Westin seemed very interested in.

Westin huffed as if she could read his mind and knew exactly what he was thinking about. She pushed off of the table and then replied with a sneer, "Shade Barrow is barely a two on the scale, his ability is helpful but it is useless when it comes to the battlefield. His mutation will dilute Samos's. The child would have as pathetic of an ability as his."

Maven felt his skin crawl as how casually and apathetically Westin spoke about the child Evangeline carried. Contrary to his actions, he did have a sliver of a heart left. His mother hadn't destroyed his humanity completely, no matter what she had tried. It was the Calore in him, she'd spit when she'd failed to erase that last twinge in his heart strings. That twinge pulled now though, and he felt his hairs rise as he glanced at Westin warily and accused, "You're not breeding children, your making weapons."

Westin glanced at him over her shoulder, her expression flat as she replied, "Those children will be priceless assets when they are older. With the proper training, they could turn the tide of any battle for whoever has them."

"Mare and Cal are not stupid, contrary to what I wish, and they will put two and two together eventually and figure out what you are doing. If Mare is pregnant when that happens, they will find a way to get away from you and they will go so far underground that you won't have a prayer of finding them." Maven spoke carefully, trying to not make it appear like he was defending them. He wanted it to sound like he was merely stating a fact. That was a fact though, if his brother found out that they were going to take his child, Mare and him would disappear.

Westin shrugged and then said, "Calore and Barrow are disposable then. If we only get one from them, then that's all we need."

Maven's stomach dropped as he realized how wrong he had been. He had thought that he was pulling strings, that he had seen all of them. This was something terrifying though. The Council that Westin worked for apparently had a whole other set of strings, and they were preparing to pull those threads and make people dance. Maven glanced away from Westin as he thought about that. They would kill Mare, and his brother, but that was the lesser of his worries. They would kill Mare, the girl who had been willing to fall in love with him. He'd pushed her away though, had ruined the trust she had given him. He'd tied strings around her, as both he and his mother had decided was necessary. He'd pulled them and she'd done exactly what he had needed. Now though, now this Council was taking his strings from him, and Westin was trying to tie strings around him now as well. She wanted him to dance for her too, but he had been taught to see those strings. For a heartbeat he was grateful for his mother, for her showing him how to see those power plays. She had always taught him that if he was smart enough to see the strings around him, he was strong enough to pull his own strings. So, he thought with a feral grin, he'd pull his own strings. Westin would not get Mare, he would keep Mare, come what may.

He looked back to Westin then and said, "What do you want from me then?"

"Your brother and Barrow despise you, and wouldn't trust you with their shredded boots. They would never know that you were pushing them closer together. Our profile on you says that you are manipulative. I'm sure you're smart enough to find a way to push them together and force them over that edge."

Maven's heart pounded a rhythmic beat in his chest, but he felt his palms starting to sweat. He could do this though, he could mask his intentions from Mare and Cal, and he could play the Council at the same time. He could do it, so he would. He gave Westin a nod, and then holding his wrists out for her to unlock the shackles around them, he said, "You've given me an offer I can't refuse. I'd be more than glad to help."

 **A/N**

 **And we have now literally set up the entire rest of the story guys. That last part there, is the big reveal, the massive golden egg chapter, cause starting now, you literally cannot trust anyone in this story. (: I can't wait to show you guys where this story goes, cause let me tell you, I don't think anyone will be able to guess where it's going. So buckle up ya'll, its rodeo time.**

 **Question:**

 **Was anyone surprised at Westin and the Council's intentions?**


	10. Chapter 8

_(/_ _ **Mare**_ _/)_

I jerked awake, almost smacking my forehead against the ceiling of the room. My chest rose and fell rapidly, and my vision was still blurry with sleep. Rubbing at my eyes, I tried to chase down the fading tendrils of my dream. _A nightmare, just a nightmare_ , I told myself as my vision cleared and my thoughts began to settle. I hadn't had a nightmare like that in a long time, and I did not miss them for obvious reasons. Even now, I could feel the goose bumps on my arms from the horrifically realistic sensations. In fact, the voice, I knew that voice, the one that had been whispering to me in the dream. It had been like a forgotten lullaby, something that had been sung to me as a baby and that I only remembered bits and pieces of now. I felt like I should know it though, like I should know exactly who had been speaking to me in the dream. The more I tried to remember it though, the more it faded away. I shook my head to clear it completely then, and glanced to the side. A pair of amber eyes watched me carefully, the darkness making them all the brighter.

Cal was silent, his expression expectant as he watched me slowly return from my nightmare. He was waiting for me, waiting for me to explain to him what had happened. I laid back slowly then, feeling his arm slide around me and pull me toward him. Inhaling around the tight band that had wrapped itself around my chest, I closed my eyes and whispered, "Nightmare, it was just a nightmare."

"I know," he whispered against my hair as he rested his lips there. I breathed slowly and easily, the band around my chest slowly fading as I gripped his forearms like they were anchors. I could feel his chest rising and falling against my back and I set my breathing to his pace, hoping to fall asleep again. Dreams eluded me though, and they did the same for him.

"The mission we're going on tomorrow," he murmured, his breath stirring the hairs on top of my head as he spoke, "was it part of your nightmare?"

I shook my head slowly, and then squeezed my eyes shut as I replied, "There was a room, and I was alone, tied down at this table…" I hesitated, the band coming back and squeezing as I spoke about it, "and there was someone, whispering, telling me things about myself, rumors and truths."

He didn't move, simply listened, his breath hot on my ear. Eventually though, when my breathing settled again, he whispered in my ear, "It was just a dream."

I nodded, agreeing with him, happy that that was the truth. He sighed softly behind me, and then tried to fall asleep again. I still couldn't though, the fear of that nightmare kept me up. Instead, I watched the others in the room.

Julian and Sara had tried their best to make ends meet in the tiny bed, but they were more squashed than Cal and I were. Mostly they slept back to back, it was the easiest way for them to have space. Sara slept with her face toward me, and I watched her cheeks twitch in her dreams. Did she have nightmares about Elara ordering her tongue cut out? Did she dream about screaming for help that didn't come because no one could hear her? I wasn't sure I wanted to know, but it looked like tonight her dreams were pleasant. I tried not to be jealous of that, and was only partially successful.

Below them, I could just make out Maggie platinum blonde curls in the dim light. She was strewn across her bed like always, and was snoring softly. I felt a small smile tug at my lips at that fact. No matter what happened, I would always be happy that everyone was safe. We were together too, not scattered across the country like we could have been. I squeezed Cal's forearm one more time as I closed my eyes and settled back against him. Whatever came, as long as we faced it together, I had no doubt in my mind that we would be able to get through it.

(/)

"Mine moved," Maggie moaned, accentuating the vowels of her words, as she laid her chin on her forearms and grimaced at her bowl of breakfast. I sighed from where I was standing behind her as she pulled away from me, causing the braid I was working on to unravel partially from the end. I lifted her head back up and then said, "It didn't move, stop saying that."

She glared down at the oatmeal in her bowl, and then pushed it away in disgust. "I'd rather eat my foot," she grumbled as she crossed her arms.

"That can be arranged." Shade teased, his threat fell on deaf ears though. Maggie simply pulled forward to rest her chin on her forearms again and I sighed as I just tied off her braid to just be done with it. She wasn't going to sit still anytime soon and I really didn't feel like wrestling her this morning. I slowly sank into the chair next to her and picked up my spoon to eat my own breakfast. Maggie shoved hers in my face though, and cried, "See! It moved!"

I watched the jelly like substance shift a little bit at her shaking, and then glancing up at her, unamused, I replied, "Because you're shaking it. Just eat it, Maggie."

She made a face and then set it down as far from her as possible. I sighed as I spooned some of my own food up and took a bite. I swallowed around the sandpaper taste and then forced myself to take a few more bites. I wish it had moved so that I could complain about something, but there was nothing to complain about except for the complete lack of anything truly edible. That wasn't anything new with the Guard though.

Cal sank down into the seat across from me, his own tray still full. He rubbed his eyes with the heels of his palms and then said, "Loading dock in half an hour Mare."

I nodded and Maggie's head lifted off the table as she asked, "You guys are going on a mission?"

Cal gave her a tenuous smile and a tight nod, and then winced as her face slowly turned bright cherry apple red. She stood up, but still barely came up to Cal's eye line as she did so. Her lower lip bounced for a moment and she whined as she demanded, "Why don't I get to go?"

"It's not even really a mission, Maggie," I assured as I wrangled her back into her seat so that she didn't cause a spectacle in the middle of the mess hall, "It's just a short supply run."

"But you guys get to go outside!" She whined again, fighting off my advances as she went to crawl under the table and toward Cal who might just cave and find a way to take her with us. That was a very bad idea though. We needed her here, keeping an eye on things, and letting us know if the council arrived. Especially now, after Evangeline told us about her strange run in with Westin.

She managed to wiggle under the table, and then out the other side. Grabbing Cal's hand and bouncing up and down, she said, "I want to go outside!"

He winced at her plea and then sliding his arm out of her grip and slowly wrapping it around her shoulders to pull her close, he said, "And we'll find a way to take you outside, but the Colonel has only allowed Mare and I on this mission. If we could take anyone though, you would be first on the list, you know that."

She puckered her lips like she tasted something sour, and then argued, "You're lying, you would take Shade first, then Evangeline, then Sara, then Julian, and I would be the last choice. Which is totally unfair, because Evangeline's pregnant and you would still pick her before me."

Cal blanched and Evangeline choked on her oatmeal next to Cal, her expression paling as she looked at Maggie in surprise. I set my head in my hand in response to the whole situation, but didn't say anything. I personally would have taken Maggie if we could, just to keep her out of trouble, but it was true that in a pinch, having my brother there to teleport us out of a situation was the best weapon.

"Maggie," Cal began, obviously trying to think of a way to smooth over Maggie's bruised ego without promising that we could get her out on a mission soon. As he began to speak though, Maggie's eyes landed on a point over his shoulder and her jaw dropped as she gasped, "Wait, what!"

Cal flipped around in his chair to see what she was so horrified about and everyone at our table looked over as well, all of us curious as what had drawn such a reaction from Maggie. For a moment, I thought I was mistaken, that I was so tired that my eyes were playing tricks on me. I rubbed at my eyes with my fingertips and then opened them again, but I wasn't hallucinating.

The knife on Evangeline's tray was in her hand before any of us could really react, and she raised it to throw it. Cal launched himself at her though, and grabbed her wrist before pinning it to the table. She screeched in fury and Shade pulled the knife out of her hand as I stood so quickly that my chair hit the ground. The noise we had made drew most of the mess halls attention but the man walking through the rows of tables drew the rest.

Smirking at us, like he had just been announced the winner of a prize, Maven strolled through the mess hall toward our table. My mind scrambled to try and form some resemblance of an understanding, but all I could understand was that Maven was walking around as a free man. How was this possible? It shouldn't have been, he should have been dead by now, he should not be walking around the compound. He should not be walking around alone, and… unshackled.

He approached us with a swagger that rivaled even Shade's and taking in our expressions he tilted his head to the side and then said, "How kind of you all to save me a seat at your table."

The breath I released was like a hiss of air through my teeth. Everything was just starting to look up, and here he was again. Without another word or breath, I leaped at him, my hands closing around his throat. He choked as we both collapsed on the floor, and reached up to grab my wrists. His sleeves fell back and revealed two bands of metal around his wrists. They weren't like his bracelets though; they were just a simply piece of metal pressing against his skin. I glanced at them hesitantly, wondering what the hell they were. Suddenly I felt the woozy effect of silent stone and I collapsed backwards off of him, only to feel the effect vanish.

Cal had caught me with one hand as I fell back, while his other hand was lit with a small flame that rolled lazily along his palm. Maven eyed the flame with a starving expression, as if he hadn't seen anything like it in eternity. But he quickly contorted his expression into something close to boredom before climbing to his feet to look down at me and Cal. My skin crawled as I looked up at him for the second time. How many more times would he stand above me like that, while surprise and horror coursed through my veins? I had thought that the last time that would have ever happened was when he had first turned his back on me and shown me his true intentions. Apparently, he wasn't done with surprising me though.

"Miss Barrow, Mister Calore, I do hope everything is okay?"

I looked up to see Westin standing over us as well, her expression anything but worried. She looked Maven over for a moment, as if looking for damage. Turning back to us, she looked us over with the same expression. I leaped to my feet before Cal could say anything and then pointing at Maven I cried, "Have you lost your mind? He's standing right next to you!"

Westin looked at Maven for a moment, and turning back to us she said, "I can see that Miss Barrow."

"Why isn't he in a cell?" Cal demanded, his voice wavered though, his surprise exploding out at Westin's calm reaction to the situation. Maven smirked at us and our reactions before saying, "Perhaps I got out early because of good behavior."

Westin huffed at his words and then turning her attention back to us, she said, "His Majesty has agreed to assist our efforts in exchange for his freedom, which will be limited at first."

"No!" Evangeline cried as she leaped to her feet, only to wince and place her hand on her stomach before sinking into her chair again. Shade immediately began to ask what had happened. I turned my attention back to Westin and Maven though and spit, "You're insane if you think he can be trusted! He'll try to kill us all!"

Westin sniffed and then recovering her sparkling smile she said, "His Majesty can do no such thing," she grabbed his wrist and pulled his sleeves back to reveal the bands of metal on his wrists, "not as long as these are on his wrists. They act like the silent stone you are all so familiar with. In this alloy form, it can become portable, and is light enough to be worn. They are impossible to be removed unless done so by a magnetron."

I wasn't in the least bit settled by her words, or by the explanation she provided for those odd little bracelets. I could still remember the sparks dancing off of the shackles Maven had ripped out of when we had been brought before his father and his mother. I could still remember the cool smile that he had given me as he realized he had played me like a deck of cards. I couldn't bear to think of the havoc he could wreck on the Guard in the Command hub.

Taking a step forward to voice that opinion, I glared at Maven as I spit, "He'll betray us, don't let him fool you Westin, he _will_ betray you."

Maven gave me a secret smile, as if my words were very much true. I wished they weren't though. Westin was in a high position of power, someone who had control over Colonel Farley, and who fed information to the Council. Maven could compromise all of that. I couldn't let that happen though, Westin had to understand, had to know that Maven would betray all of us. Maybe her calm demeanor housed worry and fear though? She had to be acting on the Council's orders, and they had to have a plan. Maybe they thought they could play him too, could manipulate him into giving them information when we could not. I wouldn't be surprised, they were a council of probably some of the smartest and more prepared men and women from the Guard. All of their decisions dictated the direction of the Guard. They wouldn't purposefully put us all in jeopardy.

I took a step back as those thoughts slowly crossed my mind, and felt Cal set his hand on my shoulder and pull me back a little further. Maven glanced all of us over then, his eyes settling on Evangeline who sneered at him. Cal squeezed my shoulder gently before asking, "And how you like us to deal with… this?"

Westin simply raised her brow and said, "Well you're all adults, I'm certain you can handle being around someone you don't like."

"I'm not an adult," Maggie said bitterly from behind my elbow, and I glanced down to see her glowering at Westin. The woman simply smiled though and said, "Of course not child, I was referring to the other members of your little group."

Maggie made a noise that sounded half like a snort and half like a curse word. I watched as she slipped back around the table toward Evangeline, and gripped the magnetron's arm tightly. As if Maggie's attitude could spread with the touch, Evangeline also narrowed her eyes and whispered something to Shade, who looked back with his mouth agape in surprise.

"Now," Westin said with a smile as she gestured for us to sit back down, "please go back to enjoying your breakfast, His Majesty will be sitting elsewhere."

I tugged on the bottom of Cal's jacket, giving him the signal to sit back down, and although he hesitated for a fraction of a second, he still took a step back as well and went to sit down. I took my seat and watched with narrowed eyes as Maven walked by our table and remained with Weastin.

"Yeah well, you're just a bottom feeding bi-" Maggie began only for Cal to glare at her and hiss, "You finish that statement Magdalene and I will find a bar of soap for you to suck on for a few hours."

(/)

The truck Cal and I were in only a few hours later was relatively new, even by Scarlet Guard standards. At first I had been awed by the whole thing, but after a few hours, I had already adapted to the new seats that were separated and not connected in a bench like I was used to. Cal hadn't been surprised at all by all the new features, but I had a feeling his mind was in another place entirely.

I watched the rolling landscape of lakes and green fly by us as we made our way to a smaller city outside of Trial, the capital city of the Lakelands. Cal had told me it was what Archeon was to Norta, highly protected, near impossible to infiltrate. I hadn't bothered to mention that Farley's group had managed to infiltrate Archeon before. This wasn't an infiltration mission though. We had been charged with moving supplies, along with two other people who had elected to sit in the back and play cards while Cal and I sat up front and handled the navigation portion of the mission. I had a feeling that Cal would have chosen to drive anyway. He always seemed to calm down when he drove. Evangeline had said it probably acted like a rocking chair, with the gentle sway of the truck as we bumped over the road adding to that soothing mothing. The repetitive movements of pressing the gas and the brake also probably lulled him into a sense of peace too.

His lips twisted in distaste at something he was thinking about and taking that as my cue to jump in, I asked, "What are you thinking about?"

He narrowed his eyes only slightly and when he responded he was obviously still angry about the turn his thoughts had taken. "I'm thinking that it's going to be hard to get this whole damn truck into this city without someone seeing us and identifying this thing as stolen."

I sighed and then turning in my seat to face him a little more I reached up and closed the little slat that would allow them to hear us in the back. I reached out then and slowly tangled my fingers in the hair near the base of his neck and began to stroke the skin there with my thumb in slow circles, as I whispered, "The truth would be nice, Cal."

His face pinched as he recognized that he wouldn't be able to put me off track, and leaning back into my touch, he whispered, "Maven being out of a cell screams trouble and that something is up. I don't like it."

"I don't either," I replied softly as I ran my fingers up into his hair and then back down his neck, letting my nails run softly along his skin. I felt the shiver that ran through his body, and he gave me a sideways glance. It was such a quick look though, that if I hadn't been watching his profile in the first place, I would have completely missed it.

We were quiet for a little longer, my fingers mostly staying in his hair now as I tried to keep from pulling his eyes off of the road again. He went deep into his thoughts again, his lips drawing into a tight line. Eventually, he seemed to gather his thoughts completely, and said, "Maggie can't read Westin."

I looked at him in surprise, and horror. Maggie, the girl who could hear the thoughts of people on the other side of the compound, couldn't read the thoughts of a woman directly in front of her. I tried to reason that out, but my explanation was a poor one. "Well we assumed she was a New Blood, perhaps her ability is being able to counter others?"

"Like an Arven?" Cal asked as he slowed a bit more and eyed the dark clouds that were starting to gather a little way ahead of us. I shook my head though, pulling my hand out of his hair as I brought my knees up to his chest and hugged them tightly. "No, something much more powerful, like Torin compared to you. An Arven has to actually focus on countering someone, like you have to rely on your bracelets. Westin might simply have to exist." The thought was chilling, someone who could not be affected by an ability was a dangerous person. I could vividly remember the sound of that metal pipe cutting through Arven as he fell behind me in the Bowl of Bones, and I could also remember the influx of power that had led to me creating my first storm. Before I had only made small sparks or thrown bolts of electricity. In that moment though, I had commanded a storm into existence. I wondered if Cal knew that that had been me, or if he thought the storm had already been building and I had simply coaxed it on, or stolen the power from within it. There were times when I woke with that power drumming through my veins, but I had never dared to see if I could call such a storm into existence again.

"Another little part that we know nothing about," Cal grumbled. Lately we had been trying to piece everything together, but we had mostly been failing. There was so little that we understood, and that did not sit well with the two of us. We had always been in the loop with Farley, but now, we hadn't seen head or tail of our captain. It terrified us more than not knowing what was going on around us. The rumor we had heard was that she was already out on a mission for the Council with her friend, the girl who she seemed to spend all her time with, Ellie. Neither of us had bothered to try and dig any deeper. We owed Farley her privacy. After all, she had always given us ours.

"We'll eventually figure it out." I offered the comment, hoping that it would bring him out of this strange mood he was in, but it only seemed to spurn him on.

"And if we don't?" His words were brittle and cold, and his tone drew my eyes like a magnet. I raised my brow at him and said simply, "There won't be an if. We will figure this all out."

"Ah yes, is that before or after the Colonel stops throwing glances at Julian for asking questions? Perhaps it will be after everyone stops throwing surprised glances at Shade when they learn he is the father of Evangeline's baby and not me?"

"Don't be so bitter," I murmured, but I knew he had a right to be. No one had thrown a dirty glance my way. The Reds had actually treated me with more respect than I probably deserved actually. They wanted to hear all the stories, they wanted to know how I had managed to tame the monster that Cal was supposed to be. I'd even heard more than a few giggled whispers from girls, who asked whether he was as good in bed as any other Red man, or if he was as dominate as he was when he trained. It felt like we were back at the beginning and everyone was poking at the two of us with a stick to see what would happen. I wanted to snap at them more than anything, but Cal had insisted that we would simply be giving them permission to keep poking if we did that. So, I withstood the uncomfortable questions and ignored the girls who came to watch us train and who watched Cal like he was some prize that they might be able to grab from my hands if I wasn't looking. It made me sick that they objectified him like that. And it worried me that they bothered me. I had nothing to be worried about.

Cal glanced at me out of the corner of his eye, his lips quirking up just slightly at the corner. I gave him a look to keep him from saying anything else, but he broke into a full smile, his mood apparently fleeing for just a moment. He looked forward once again, and I slowly twisted in my seat again to face him. I poked his arm then, and when he glanced at me I said, "What are you thinking, spill."

He smirked and then said, "Forget it."

"No spill, what are you thinking?"

He glanced at me for a moment, and then looking forward again he said, "You're so persistent," his lips curled up in a smile though as he continued, "I knew what you were thinking about, and it was the blonde that you almost fried yesterday."

"You mean the idiot who came up to the edge of the sparring ring and got in my way?" I asked as I feigned innocence. I certainly hadn't been thinking about her, but now that he mentioned her, she certainly fit the bill for one of the girls who ogled Cal a little too much for my liking. She had started coming to the trainings when she had been passing by with a group of the girls. She would normally just sit off the side and pretend that she wasn't staring at Cal openly. He had been the one to notice it first, his trained senses picking up the odd sensation of someone looking at him when his back was turned. Still, she had kept to herself and hadn't been an issue. I'd ignored her, which was probably my mistake. Not even two days later, she had come up to the edge of the sparring mat where Cal and I were working on a specific technique that I had been thinking about developing. She'd gotten a little too close to Cal at one point, and she had kept her eyes on me the entire time, as if we were two animals in the middle of the jungle about to go at it if she took one more step. I'd decided that I'd had enough of her games, and so, I'd thrown a little bolt her way. Nothing that would have seriously hurt her, but just enough to snap at her toes. She'd yelped in surprise and had sprinted off to her friends who had all laughed at her fear. I'd smirked to myself, prouder than a peacock for defending my territory. Cal had given me a look before saying that he had kept track of her and everything had been just fine. I'd glared at him and accused him of liking the attention. With a smirk he had told me that the only attention he needed was mine.

My lips curled up even now as I remembered that comment, and he returned the look as I saw my reaction. I turned my face away though, remembering the look he had given me in the truck that we had first been riding in on. There had been something there, something that I wasn't entirely sure we were ready for. And even if we were, the quiet voice in my head whispered, when he becomes king, you will have to leave. _Shut up_ , I growled at that voice. We weren't even close to that point, there was still time. Besides, I thought, if we were ready… we were ready.

He was pretending to not be watching me, and I threw a knowing glance in his direction as I leaned toward him and whispered, "You know, we're in charge of this truck, and they're in charge of moving everything. It'll be pretty quiet…"

Without even missing a beat, he raised his brow as I trailed off. My heart began to pound in my chest, as that look slowly began to bleed back into his eyes. It did the same thing to me as it had before, and I felt myself slowly pooling into a puddle. If he hadn't been driving, I would have probably grabbed the front of his shirt and yanked him across the divide between us. It certainly wouldn't have been pretty considering how long his damn legs were, and how small of a space we were in, but it would have happened.

The radio, which had been spewing little bursts of information as we went in and out of the signals, chose that moment to explode in a burst of static before an official voice began to speak. Cal broke eye contact with me, and I leaped forward to crack the volume. The voice was speaking quickly and in a language I didn't recognize. I shook my head and then went to turn it off, muttering, "It's probably-"

"Shush," Cal whispered as he grabbed my wrist and held it tightly in his grip. I looked at him in surprise and then hissed, "This isn't even English!"

"No, its French, now hush," he said as he turned up the volume a little more. I frowned and pulled my wrist away before crossing my arms childishly and pouting. After a few seconds though, I heard something that was completely unmistakable in English or French. Cal slammed on the brakes, and I heard the two Guard members in the back cry out in surprise as they probably fell from the benches.

"Cal!" I cried in surprise as I caught myself on the dashboard, but he was listening to the radio, his expression horrified as he breathed, "No, what is he… what is he doing here?"  
"Is it Samson? I heard his name." I whispered, as I leaned closer to the radio, as if that would make it possible to discern what they were saying. Behind us, one of the men had opened the tiny slit and hissed, "What the hell happened?"

The radio feed faded to silence before being replaced with static again. Cal's grip on the wheel had turned his knuckles almost black, and I could see his brow creasing as he began to process what he had heard. The Guard member demanded to know what had happened again, only for Cal to say, "We need to go back."

"We can't, we have to stay on course Silver!" The man screamed before Cal reached out and began to adjust the radio, looking for the broadcast station that the Guard used. He found it after a few adjustments and we all heard the loud, blaring claxon that came though followed by a female voice demanding that all units return from the field. The man cursed before saying, "That's the black alert."

"Black alert?" I exclaimed, before turning to him in confusion. The man shook his head again and then said, "That's the message they put out when shit's hit the fan. They have only sent it out once before, and that was when the King went and flooded the banks of the river near our biggest operation base. It's the highest level of alert they can send out."

I looked at Cal in surprise, having tuned out the man who was telling Cal to turn around and take us back. Cal looked to be in the same state as me, until a strange coolness entered his eyes. I'd seen that look before, when we had been running through the palace after being rescued, when he had been powerless, and we had been in danger. Without warning, he said, "Hold on," and then floored the gas, before turning the wheel sharply. I cried out as we skidded across the old pavement of the road. For a moment I thought we were going to flip, but the truck righted itself and Cal put it into a different gear before pushing top speed as we sped back the way we had come.

The Guard member in the back told him to take a side road, so that we could pick up the small operation we had paused at earlier to refuel. They would need a ride back to the base, and we would have to bring all their gear in for them. Cal simply nodded, his eyes dark as he looked dead ahead at the road that seemed to stretch on into oblivion.

"Cal, what happened? I'm confused." I whispered, and his eyes only left the road for a fraction of second before he said, "Samson is in the capital. The broadcast was to let the citizens of capital know that the King of Norta had arrived for his visit."

My skin crawled, and I blinked for a moment before saying, "Why would he be here?"

"I have no idea," Cal growled, "but if he is here, it's not to just sit down for a nice dinner with the Queen."

 _(/_ _ **Shade**_ _/)_

They had sent out the black alert and not even an hour later people had come pouring into the compound. Most of them were not happy either, shouting that they were in the middle of high level operations that had been months in the making, that members of their group were still in the capital, deep undercover. There was nothing that could be done for them though, they would have to remain where they were until the Guard could figure out how to pull them out. No one was entirely sure why they had sent out such an alert, but rumors had begun to fly around the compound as more and more people came back. The biggest one was that Samson Merandus was in the capital, having a private audience with the Queen of the Lakelands. It was rumored he was making a marriage proposal. Julian had sniffed when I'd told him that rumor, and had said that Samson wanted to share power about as much as he wanted to abdicate. He had come to take, and he would not leave until he had what he wanted, Julian had warned before proceeding to return to Maggie and her reading. He and Sara had been working hard to get the girl up to speed with children her age, because she'd never truly learned to read, and Julian hadn't stood for that. He'd actually gone after Cal when he had learned about Maggie's illiteracy, saying that he should have been focusing on more than just combat with the girl.

Now, I wandered the compound, looking for my sister and Cal who had gone out earlier that morning on a mission near the capital. I wondered if they had turned around yet, if they were on their way back, or if they had already arrived. No one had seen head or tail of them though.

I paced toward the medical center where I knew Evangeline had gone half an hour ago, saying that she wasn't feeling very well. Sara had offered to take a look at her, but Evangeline had insisted that she wanted to walk. She seemed to have gotten it in her head that if she walked around, her ankles would stop swelling. Sara had insisted that she was doing the opposite of what she needed to do, but Evangeline wouldn't hear anything of it, and had kept doing as she pleased. I tried to stay out of it, especially since she had snipped at me earlier this afternoon when I had made a comment about getting her something to eat since she needed to keep eating. She had sneered at me and said that she knew how to take care of her own damn body, and she didn't need me feeding her and making her put on more weight than she had to.

She was getting bigger though, her shirts could no longer hide her stomach, and she had started stumbling around more recently with that odd amount of weight. I knew she hated it, and I knew she was frustrated that everyone was coddling her. I wasn't helping either, I knew that too, but I couldn't help it. I was worried sick about her, and when she had made the comment that she wasn't feeling well, that had set me on edge immediately.

As I approached the medical center, I could hear the nurses chirping voices, and I poked my head in the room before seeing Evangeline off to the side, probably waiting for someone to come help her. I advanced slowly from her blind spot before saying, "How are you feeling?"

She jumped slightly and then glaring at me she hissed, "By my colors Barrow! Can't you not sneak up on someone!"  
I smirked, and she sighed before rolling her eyes. Eventually she said, "I'm fine, you can go run back to the room."

"I can walk you back," I offered before taking her hand. She glanced at our interlocked fingers before glancing up at me. I raised my brow in question and she sighed before looking over at the nurses. "They have a device that allows them to look at the baby, I wanted to see if they could tell if something was wrong."

Nodding silently in understanding, I stepped in front of her and whispered hesitantly, "Do you think something is wrong?"

Her eyes widened and she shook her head quickly before glancing down at her stomach. She set her hand on top of it and smiling to herself she whispered, "No, I don't think anything's wrong. I suppose I'm an impatient person and I want to see it already."

I felt a smile creep to my lips and I pressed a light kiss on her forehead before saying, "Would you like me to leave?"

She was silent for a moment, and she rubbed her stomach for a half second before saying, "No, I want you to stay."

Looking up at me, she slowly laid her head on my shoulder. I wrapped my arm around her shoulders in response, feeling those hard muscles that she was so proud of. I pressed another light kiss on her hairline and rested my chin on her head. I could feel each soft breath that she exhaled, and I let myself enjoy every one of them. I didn't want to think about a time when she wasn't next to me anymore. I didn't want to think about waking up and being alone. I had been alone for most of my life. My brothers had always been bigger, and my sister's had always been smaller. I had been stuck in a strange limbo between them. I suppose that is why my mother babied me so much while I grew up. It was hard to get beaten up by your brothers and then not turn around and reciprocate that same treatment on someone else. Perhaps that was why Mare and I had been so close. We had always been stuck in that limbo together. We had always been chasing something greater, and now we had it, whatever it might have been.

I had once told my parents that I didn't plan on getting married, or even so much as settling down until I was much older. My mother had laughed, had said that she didn't believe me. My father had narrowed his eyes and said something similar. This whole situation with Evangeline had changed everything though. Now I was thinking about how to keep Evangeline around, how to keep her and the baby safe. What I would have to do after the war to support a child and her. I had started subconsciously looking for where my talents could be used. I didn't want to keep fighting, I didn't want to stay on the front lines. I had lost too many things on those lines, and I refused to stay there for my whole life. Maybe Cal and Mare could handle it, but I didn't want to think about what would happen if I didn't come back from a mission one day.

One of the nurses coughed to get our attention, and when we pulled away, she inclined her head respectfully. With a gentle smile she gestured to an open table and then said, "If you're ready Miss, I can take you."

Evangeline raised her chin slightly, not in disrespect I noticed, but because I could feel her hands shaking. She was scared. Before she could follow the young nurse though, I wrapped my arm around her waist and whispered in her ear, "Come what may."

It had become sort of like our little catch phrase, something to calm the other when they began to worry about the baby, or anything else for that matter. I had started saying it after we had been reunited, and she had slowly begun to adapt it too. It always seemed to calm her when I said it, and she always whispered it when it when I woke in a panic and reached out for her in the middle of the night. Her dreams were haunted by her family, mine were haunted with Samson Merandus coming after her, or of Silver healers taking the baby from her, while I was tied down in a corner, powerless to stop them. But that phrase was always there now, and it had always played the part of the perfect calming presence. I wondered if it would become something permanent between us. I wondered if we were even permanent. Would what we had survive after the baby, or would we slowly drift apart? The thought made my heart plummet and my skin crawl.

Evangeline slipped out of my grip, strangely solidifying my fears as she followed the nurse. I hurried after her, just barely avoiding another young nurse as she turned with a tray of syringes and tiny vials. She huffed when I didn't apologize, but walked toward another group that was huddled around a table. I turned away from her, and then placed my hand on the small of Evangeline's back as I caught up. The nurse in front of her was babbling about something or another, and I tried to pay attention to what she was saying. Whatever she was going on about might be important in the future. I couldn't focus though; all I could hear was the pounding in my ears as my heart started a staccato drumbeat beat in my chest and ears. We had nothing to worry about though, the baby was supposedly very healthy, according to Sara. If Evangeline was anywhere near nervous though, then I should be too.

I felt Evangeline's cool fingers slide between mine and glancing at me over her shoulder, she whispered, "We have nothing to fear but fear itself."

"You're not much of a reassuring person, are you, blondie?" I teased as she sank onto the table and sent me a withering glance. I gave her a smile though and continued, "You have your inspiration quotes to reassure you, and I have my sense of humor."

"No matter how horrible it is." Evangeline replied, but I saw the way her lips quirked up at the corners. At least she wasn't as worried as I was now. If I could make this whole process at least the tiniest bit easier for her, then I could live with that. If I could make the entire situation easier I would. I had no idea how to do that for her though. Evangeline had only whispered her concerns to me once, and it have been in a moment of utter terror when no one else was listening. She had told me that she was afraid of how our baby would be perceived, what people would think of a baby that had been born out of wedlock. They were hated so profusely in the realm of the Silvers, and she had expressed that to me. I had told her that our baby would be loved by us though, that it wouldn't have to worry about such a thing. She had given me a pleading look though, and I had realized that it didn't matter, because her family would learn about our child eventually, and as bad as it was, it would be worse if they knew the baby would have to bear their family name. Such an abomination would be disowned by house Samos and then our child would have no name at all. I knew more than anything, that terrified Evangeline. There were things that our child would have access to if they carried the Samos name. They would have property, a home no matter where they went, and a title that would save them from war from pain. I could never understand those things, because I'd never had them, but Evangeline had, and she wanted them for our child. She thought they could keep it safe. I thought that I knew better, but I would never admit that.

The nurse returned and after a few minutes of setting up everything, she began her real work. I had no idea what was going on, let alone how the Guard could have possibly gotten their hands on technology like this. If we had had anything remotely like this while we had been hounded by that virus, perhaps we would have been able to save more people. Westin had said that it had been unfortunate that they hadn't been able to send help, that the Council had deemed it unnecessary to send help until it was almost too late. For a group that was constantly preaching that it wanted us to be equal to Silvers, and to save all of our lives, they certainly didn't have a hard time leaving us to die.

Evangeline watched the little screen though, apparently unbothered by the whole thing. I tried to be like that, but my mind kept pulling back to the earlier worries, and I couldn't stop them from arising again and again. Eventually, the nurse began speaking, saying something to Evangeline as she pointed something out on the screen. I forced my mind to come back, to return to the present. My mother had always warned me that I thought about the future too much, that I needed to learn how to remain in the present where everything was happening around me. She had always warned me that if I ignored the present, I would simply be a spectator in my own life. So, turning my attention to the screen, I watched as the nurse slowly pointed out the tiny head that was forming. My heart skipped a beat at that, and Evangeline sat up a little straighter, her eyes narrowing as she began to rapid fire questions at the nurse. The poor thing tried her best to keep up, but she couldn't get answers out fast enough it seemed because Evangeline eventually huffed and sank back on to the table.

I was speechless though. It was easy to pretend that nothing was really happening when there was little to no physical evidence. I certainly wasn't growing another human being between my hips, but Evangeline was, and this whole thing had probably begun to feel very real a long time ago for her. Seeing that faintly human outline in a sea of black though, that had changed everything for me.

The nurse seemed to assume we were done asking questions, because she removed the machine, bowed her head and whispered her congratulations before she disappeared. Evangeline watched her the whole time before going to climb off the table saying, "Well that was utterly pointless. I could have had Sara tell me all of that." She huffed in annoyance as she went to slide off the table, but I grabbed her arms and forced her to stay put. Raising her brow at me she growled, "Move Shade."

"This is honestly happening. We are having a baby." I mumbled as I looked down at her stomach in surprise. Our child was growing in there, something so perfect and innocent. It was a small miracle, something I never thought I would be able to witness.

"No, I am having a baby, you are standing by and holding my hand while I have said baby." She corrected as she pushed my hands down and slid off the table. She readjusted her shirt and pants, grumbling about how they fit, but I grabbed her hands again and said, "I've been thinking a lot about what you said."

"Shade, I talk to you at least five times a day, you're going to have be more specific about what I might have said." She murmured as she tried to pull her hands away to keep adjusting her shirt. I held fast though and whispered, "About the baby, and about it needing to have a family name. It has to have a family name, and you are worried that if it has yours it will be disowned."

She froze, and her eyes narrowed as her gaze turned icy. She glanced around us, as if checking for eavesdroppers before saying, "I told you that while I was in the middle of a panic attack."

"I know, but you were so afraid, and so worried, and I… I have a solution to everything." I whispered as I pulled her closer. She looked up at me as he lips twisted to the side at my tone. Giving her a small smile, I whispered, "The baby can have my last name."  
"Yours?" She said with a raised brow, but it eventually dropped and furrowed with the other as she continued, "But it can't have _your_ last name. We're not married."

"Then marry me." I said quickly, the words stumbling over each other on their way out. Her eyes widened in surprise though, and in that moment I realized that I hadn't just given the baby a family name, I had also offered to tie her to myself. Marriage was serious for Reds, it meant for eternity. Maybe with Silvers it was different, but she would be tied to me until the day that one of us died. I slowly lowered her hands to her sides and whispered softly, "If you'll have me, I will marry you Evangeline. I'll take you into my family and you and the baby can have my family name. I know it doesn't come with much. I don't come from a High House, I don't have any land, or any wealth. Hell, I barely had enough to get by on my own. But I do have an undying love for this child, and for you. I will give you everything I possibly can, whether it is the clothes off my back, or the bread off my plate, or my own breath, I will keep you happy. I will take you as you are-"

"You're serious," she breathed as she slowly sank back to sit on the table. I watched her face then for any sort of answer, but all I could see was the surprise at my admission, at my offer. I slowly crouched down taking her shaking hands in my own, dragging her attention downward as I whispered, "You don't have to answer now, you could think it over-"

She seemed to think about it for a heartbeat before replying softly, "I'll marry you, if you'll take me," she smiled weakly, and I felt my legs shaking in surprise at her reply, "and I won't marry you to save face. I'll marry you because I love you, and because I couldn't imagine anyone else raising this child with me."

My face broke into a wide grin and as I rose slowly I encased her lips with a kiss. She reciprocated, the corners of her mouth turning up in a smile as we kissed softly. Eventually she pulled away and rested her forehead against my own, her eyes closed. I simply traced her cheek bone with the tip of my nose though, and listened to her breathing before she whispered, "You'll have to marry me soon though, I don't want to look like a whale in a dress."

I laughed softly and then teased, "Whose humor is bad now?"

She chuckled and then pulling away she gave me a knowing look and said, "I'm serious, you better marry me quickly."

Grinning, I pressed my lips against hers once more and then whispered with breath stolen from them, "I'm sure the Guard can whip up a proper wedding. I'll ask Westin if she can put it together."

I felt Evangeline tense at the mention of the woman's name, but she didn't make any effort to refute me. Instead she slid her hand up my chest to my neck where she tangled her fingers in my hair. She nodded softly, but she didn't need to say anything else, her touch said everything.

 ** _A/N_**

 _Sorry it took so long, again. I feel like it should just be expected now that I take forever between chapters. I completely agree with Queen V though, writing weddings is literally such a drag. Now if ya'll will excuse me, I need to come up with what a red wedding would look like._

 ** _Question time:_**

 _Any predictions for what's coming? (I'm running out of questions as you all can see XD)_


	11. Chapter 9

Gold as the Crown Chapter 9

 _(/_ _ **Mare**_ _/)_

I waited outside of the main command hub, listening to the chatter of everyone on their radios, relaying information back and forth. Command had been busier than a bee hive for the past week, dealing with Samson's arrival, and his silence while he was spending time in the palace. All he had been doing apparently, was walking in the massive ice gardens with the Queen, and talking with her. The soul spy that had been left behind when everyone had cleared out had been feeding that information, but it was information that had trickled down through the ranks. With that in mind, the information could have been anything but that.

Just as I expected, Farley left the command center at noon, like she always did. I broke from the shadows and followed her, as another young woman slid into the space next to Farley and wrapped her arms around Farley's left one. I hesitated for a moment, but then picked up my pace to catch up to her. "Farley," I called her name, and she glanced over her shoulder at me. She froze and the girl with her. I recognized her instantly, Ellie, another member of command, and the woman that Farley's loved.

Ellie glanced me over for a second, before smiling and saying, "Miss Barrow, yes?"

I nodded, and then glancing at Farley, I whispered, "Can I speak with you, privately?"

Narrowing her eyes at me, Farley glanced at Ellie, and then back at me. I raised my brow at her. A few weeks in this place, and all the sudden we were nonexistent to her. Seeing my anger, Ellie patted Farley's forearm and whispered something in her ear before slipping away down another hallway.

I watched her go, before looking back at Farley who slipped her hands into the pockets of her threadbare jacket. The movement was so simply, and so at ease. She was at ease here, and something about that mades me uncomfortable. This wasn't home, home was almost a thousand miles away.

"Why aren't you staying with us?" I asked hesitantly, all of my gusto gone with that homesick thought. Farley's brows almost rose up into her hairline, as she replied softly, "You all are cramped in that room without adding me."

"But you're our commander, shouldn't you be with us?" I sniffed in annoyance. Were we nothing now that she was back here with her father and the people she had obviously worked with before, not to mention Ellie. Raising my chin, I said, "You could have at least spoken to us, and told us that you were staying with Ellie. All of us thought you had pretty much decided you were done with us."

Her eyes widened in horror and she leaned forward whispering, "I would… you are as much my family as anyone here."

"You haven't exactly shown that recently," I said coolly, before glancing over her shoulder as Westin approached. At her shoulder, Maven trailed. I narrowed my eyes at them, not sure whether or not I should trust the woman the Council had sent to monitor Maven. Farley glanced over her shoulder at them too. Glancing them over before sliding her hands out of her pockets, she gave Westin a polite dip of her head. I had no choice but to do so as well.

"I hear the wedding plans have hit a hiccup?" Westin said with a grimace as she looked me over upon her approach. Narrowing my eyes at Maven over her shoulder, I replied, "Apparently, even though Evangeline denounced her vows to Maven, he still has to do it so that Evangeline can marry my brother."

"I would have figured that she knew that." Maven replied with a smirk that made my blood boil. How dare he belittle this issue when he was the cause of it. Farley glared at him as well before saying, "I would think that being in the position you are in would push you to do whatever was necessary to keep you in everyone's good graces."

Maven raised his chin at that, before replying just as smugly as before, "Well, I don't think I am in too poor of a position. I didn't leave the people I'd been working with for almost a year for a pretty face."

Farley's cheeks burned at the insulation about her character. My own patience vanished at the comment, and it took all my will to jut speak and not spit at Maven's feet. "Last I checked you were about to give everything you had up for my face." I growled, and was rewarded with a dark flush that raced down his neck after it had burned in his cheeks. Westin snorted to hide her own laugh, before glancing at me and saying, "Very observant of you, Miss Barrow."

I tried not to take offense at the obvious chirp, and instead turned back to Maven. He was dressed just like any of us, but he still oozed confidence and composure. He may not have been dressed like a king, but he certainly still carried himself like one. It was embedded in him, just like being a soldier was embedded in me. It both terrified me and infuriated me. He shouldn't have been allowed to have any power, he should have been locked in chains, in a cell where he would never see a living soul again.

Crossing my arms uncomfortably, I replied, "Has he given you enough information to warrant him being allowed to walk around a free man?"

"Well, mostly a free man," Maven sneered as he waved his hand. The light caught the metal bracelet around his wrist, reminding me of the truth behind his statement. It was the only thing keeping him in line here though, a little piece of metal was the only thing standing between this entire compound and Maven Calore. It is just another terrifying prospect. He did look tired though. His cheeks looked a little shallower, and his eyes looked a little duller. I wondered if being under the effects of the silent stone at all times was doing this to him. I wouldn't have been surprised. If we didn't kill him, then those silent stone bracelets might do it for us.

Westin waved away his comment and smiling at me she replied, "He has been doing exactly what we have asked of him. I assure you, there is nothing to be worried about Miss Barrow."

My skin crawled at her cavalier tone, and I tried not to grab her head and smash it against the wall a few times to hopefully open her eyes to the snake that was right in front of her. Farley, to her credit, seemed to read this in my posture. She slipped her hand around my wrist, and gripping it tightly to keep me next to her, she stated coolly, "I believe we're all a bit on edge because of this wedding. We all want it to go well, and we want Evangeline and Shade to be happy. I'm sure a way to assuage this tension would be to get his Majesty to refute his vows."

Westin raised her brow at the comment, but didn't say anything for a moment. The silence dragged on and I felt Farley's unease start creeping up as well. I wanted to glare at her and spit that she would have felt that way a long time ago if she had actually been with us when Evangeline and Maggie had told us about their encounter with Westin. She had stepped back from us though; she was the one who had missed the information we had gathered. It was too late for her to be figuring out that there was something wrong with Westin and her stance on Maven. I wondered for a moment if Westin actually knew what he was capable of, or if she did, and was just baiting him into revealing everything she wanted to know. I wasn't any good at these games anymore, at getting information from people, or reading them. I didn't appreciate the fact that Westin was playing this game with this many people around as collateral damage either.

After the silence had stretched to an uncomfortably length, Westin tilted her head to the side slightly and said, "If it will help you and the others, then I will see to it that Maven refutes his vows."

Maven seemed to balk at it, but her dark eyes narrowed on him. I saw a flash of fire in his irises at her glare, reminding me that the hottest flames burned blue. Maven was a fire in human form, just like Cal. I had never seen Cal's flames burn blue though, but Maven's, I had seen his burn like his irises, sometimes almost white. I wondered if that was a sign of something else, or if Maven always decided to let his flames run as hot as a dying star. Perhaps it was a sign of who he was though. He was like a star that was slowly burning to nothing and letting off the last of its light in a bright flash before it ceased to exist.

Before he could protest though, his lips curled in disgust and he said, "I won't give my blessing, but I could careless whether or not she marries the Red." He waved his hand as if dismissing us, but ended up turning on his heel and starting down one of the hallways. He passed through a group of Guard members who all parted directly down the middle for him so that none of them had to be that close to him. The hallway seemed to swallow him in shadow though as he turned the corner, and Westin sighed in exasperation before turning back to me. Her expression was oddly pensive as if she were looking into the future as she took me in, and the look made my skin crawl again. I pulled away slightly, uneasy under that intense stare.

As he stare lingered, it began to feel like little tendrils skimming over my skin, like cold, clammy fingers running over my arms. I felt my lightning rise in response to the odd sensation, before it felt like it was slowly being boxed away inside of me. I pulled away another step, and felt the tendrils relax and eventually release me completely.

Farley grabbed my elbow and asked if I was okay, her voice wavering in surprise as I swayed slightly and then shook my head to clear the foggy feeling. I glanced back at Westin who raised her brow and said, "Did you hear my question Miss Barrow?"

Shaking my head again, this time to answer Westin though, I tried to ignore the nausea that swept over me. I hadn't felt like that in a long time, not since Whitefire Palace when I had last been there. There was no Silent Stone here though, unless there was some, and it was embedded in the walls. I should have noticed the effects a long time ago though. It shouldn't have just hit me now.

"I asked if you and Mister Calore were looking to be married in the future as well." Westin stated as she looked me over curiously. I felt those fingers running up my arms again, felt them reaching for my lightning, and I hissed at them mentally. I pushed back against them, refusing for them to touch the thing that was buried deep within me. It felt like I was waging a war within myself. Eventually though, the tendrils retreated, and I was left with the feeling of a bead of sweat rolling down the back of my neck. Westin looked a little paler than she had a moment ago, and she reached up with a slightly trembling hand to brush a loose strand of her hair behind her ear. I glared at her, wondering if maybe she had been the one causing that odd sensation. It probably shouldn't have surprised me, even though it did.

"Cal and I haven't talked about it, but I doubt there is anything in the foreseeable future. We have a war to win, distractions are not an option." I hissed my reply through my teeth, remembering how Maggie had mentioned that it had felt like she was looking at a blank slate when she had tried to look through Westin's mind. She hadn't mentioned any strange clammy tendrils though. Was this Westin's ability, was she like a walking block of Silent Stone? Were we all in more danger here than I had thought?

Westin rolled her shoulders back and stood to her full height before me. I raised myself as well, and setting my jaw, prepared to fight again. For a moment, I felt the very edges of those tendrils brushing by me, but they vanished in a flash, making me think I imagined them. Westin seemed to relax as that feeling vanished, and whispered, "Interesting."

I hated the fact that I knew she was not speaking about me and Cal.

(/)

I tried to remain off to the side of the celebration, a whole floor up, with a glass of cheap cider in my hand that had been handed out at the end of the ceremony for the toast that had occurred right before the dancing. Below me, people were laughing and trying to ignore the war outside, because for just a moment, there was beam of light in all the darkness. We were all just a group of people who had been gifted with an invitation to an event that was normally heralded as the celebration that an entire village was invited to. Most Red weddings were held in the same square as a market, so that as many people as possible could be crammed into that tiny space. The official ceremony was always held first, and was officiated by the highest ranked member of the village. At the moment, our village was a military base, but the same principles had been applied. Farley's father had been asked to officiate, as Westin had declined coming to the wedding in the first place. No one had complained about that, and I actually preferred that she wasn't here. I hadn't mentioned my odd encounter with her to anyone, but Farley had urged me too. She and I had barely reconciled after the whole thing, but I couldn't be wary of my friend forever. In fact, I had tried to apologize earlier, but she had refused to hear it, and had promised that she would be around more.

From my position where I was perched on the catwalk, I could see everything. I saw Maggie standing on Cal's toes while he taught her the steps to a dance that made her laugh. I saw Farley sitting at a rickety table with her father and a group of captains, and Ellie, who were all swapping stories. Farley finally looked at peace for the first time in years, and the bags under her eyes didn't look as heavy. I was only slightly envious of her for that, for the ease she felt, when everything seemed to be spiraling out of our control. We hadn't heard from our spy since her last report, and Samson had been notoriously silent in his actions. That was only part of the reason I was having trouble sleeping again. The other was Westin who was mysteriously absent from the wedding. She had given no reason for that absence either, but no one had questioned her.

I couldn't enjoy the joy that exploded out of this celebration with those things in mind. But in the center of all that fear and joy, accepting congratulations and clinging to each other like a wind was tearing at them, were Shade and Evangeline. In gold and white, the mashed colors of a Red and Silver wedding, Evangeline practically glowed. Her pregnancy was becoming more obvious by the day, and yet, it seemed that she had finally accepted the strange turn of events and was actually excited for it. Shade seemed no different. He was constantly with her, constantly whispering in her ear and glancing at his child's resting place. They were a good pair, contrary to what had happened in the beginning. Shade would make a good father too. Evangeline though, I wasn't sure about. Like me, she didn't seem to have an affinity for children, but she seemed more and more excited as her pregnancy progressed. Maggie seemed to like spending time around her now too. Apparently the hair pulling incident from months ago had been forgiven.

I wondered if it was too much for me to hope for that in my future. Watching Shade and Evangeline marry each other had been both agonizing and clarifying for me. I had glanced at Cal constantly during the ceremony, and I had met his eye almost every time. There had been an unspoken promise between us. After the ceremony, he had caught me on my way up to the balcony to hide. He had tucked a single flower by my ear, and pressed a light kiss on my forehead. When I had pulled away, he had been smiling softly down at me. He had refused to let me pull away, and had ended up pulling me close again to whisper that he loved me.

That had hurt though, because deep down, we knew that there would come a time when we would look back and wish that we had been the couple standing at the alter vowing to stand by each other forever. There would be no vows though, no gold and white dress, no guests to congratulate us. Cal would bow before an alter and be crowned king, and I would stand below it and bow to him. Whether or not there would be another Queenstrial would be up to him, but I would not be allowed to just wear the crown. It would have to be granted to me by the country, and something told me that these people did not want to see my face anymore. I carried the vision of death with me, and no doubt they wouldn't want a union like ours to be sitting on their thrones. It was too progressive; it was too much in too little time. We were too much in too little time. We were moving too fast it seemed. So I had pulled away and run to hide, like I always did.

"I figured you would be enjoying the festivities," whispered a velvet soft voice behind me. I set my jaw tightly and took a sip of my drink before glancing at Maven over my shoulder. He had worn black, a small battle against the wedding, and one that no one really cared about. For some reason it had bothered me though. How dare he disgrace my brother's wedding because he was acting like a sullen child that had had his toy stolen from him.

"I was, but sometimes I need a break too." I replied heatedly, before turning back to the look down at the massive group of people celebrating below me. It really had been a beautiful wedding though, and it had lit the whole Guard with hope for the first time in what felt like forever. It had lit me with hope, no matter how much it also reminded me that my own future was so uncertain. I was happy for my brother though, he would have his family, and I prayed that baby was born healthy, and that Shade and Evangeline were standing at the end of this war. If anything they deserved the future, because they were that future.

I heard Maven advance on me, and I stiffened when he leaned his forearms on the railing and looked down at the celebration as well. He eyed everyone below him with a condescending glance, and he seemed to share all of his ill contempt for Shade and Evangeline. I watched as everyone broke away from them though and slowly widened the area to allow them the first dance of the evening. With a quick jerk, I tipped my glass and drained it. I had promised Cal that I would be back in time for the dance. As the closest family member here, I had to dance next to Shade. Maven watched me walk past him with a feral grin before asking, "Does it hurt?"

"Your betrayal? I don't think you want answer to that Maven."

"No," he said with a dark chuckle, "the fact that you can never marry the man you love. That your love is only temporary?"

I froze at the stairs, and clutching the railing tightly, I glanced back at him and sneered. If he wanted to be a sullen brat all night that was fine, but I wouldn't let him ruin this evening for me and everyone here. It was supposed to be a night of joy and happiness, a night where we could forget past evils, the present traumas, and the fears for the future.

"Almost as much as electrocuting you with everything I have." I replied with a dark growl, that only made him chuckle again and turn his gaze back to the party. His face stood in sharp shadow, and the planes of his features made me shiver. How had I never seen the monster behind the mask? How had I not noticed that the sheep standing next to me had teeth like a wolf? Maybe it was because I thought I was seeing my own shadow, and not the man I thought was my ally.

The musicians tuned their instruments below me, and I narrowed my eyes suspiciously at Maven before hurrying down the stairs. Cal was waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs, dressed in the best uniform he owned at the moment. I smiled at him as I reached the final step and slipped my hand into his. Slowly, he walked us through the crowd, and everyone stood on their toes to see us. It was interesting that even though Shade was the first to marry a Silver royal, everyone was still fascinated with me and Cal. Maybe it was because Evangeline was pregnant now, and everyone just assumed that she would marry Shade to keep the child between them. Cal and I were another matter though. Silver men did not pick Red women as their partners, nor did they bother to so much as hold their hand. In the Lakelands, it had been nonexistent until we had arrived. We were strangers to them, and almost everyone we had met here had asked us whether or not people in Norta always did this. We'd smiled and said no, which had only brought more stares in the beginning.

As soon as we stood near Evangeline and Shade, I stepped into Cal's frame, and smiled up at him. He chuckled softly and then whispered, "Did you just remember how terrible you are at dancing?"

"No, I just remembered that the last time I danced near Evangeline, she was in your arms." I teased as the musicians struck an excited note and the dance began. The steps had been completely foreign to Cal a week ago, and it had taken both me, Shade, and half a dozen others to teach him. He'd stumbled through every practice, arguing with me that we were completely off with the beat. I'd rolled my eyes and told him that I'd watched this dance since I was a little girl, and I'd known it as long as that too. The music was as upbeat as the Silver's for this dance, but our movements were less polished, less robotic. The stiff frame that we started in held for only the first two counts, and then it was practically a free for all. Your body moved to the sway of the music, and your feet pounded with the beat of the drum. The dance had always been called the Carmina de Fortuna, and it was featured at every Red wedding. It was the superstition that if you didn't perform it the marriage would slowly wither and eventually die off. In the Stilts, it was said that the wife would be unable to bear children to term, or that she would die in childbirth. It changed from village to village, and country to country, and although Shade was not a superstitious person by nature, he had insisted on doing the dance. His reasoning had earned him a good laugh from Evangeline.

Cal and I had no choice but to be a part of it too. The sibling with the longest relationship with their significant other also had to perform the dance. It was said that the bride and groom's luck was supposed to rub off on the other couple, and they would be the next to be wed if the single wreath that was hiding in the crowd managed to land on the female dancer's head and remain there for the whole dance. My mother had always laughed and said that my head wasn't properly shaped for such an event, and that the wreath would most likely fall off. I'd told her that I wasn't planning on dancing at any of my sibling's weddings, and that they would have to ask one of the others. Here I was though, laughing as Cal lifted me off the floor and into the air as the music leaped with me. I smiled down at him as he did as well, and laughed as he set me on my feet. We ducked under each other arms and I heard him laugh as he struggled to get underneath with his height. I could feel the beat of the music through the bare soles of my feet, and Cal's warm hand in mine as he clutched it tightly in his own.

His eyes glowed as he dropped to a knee and held my hand as I slowly walked a circle around him. His touch was almost desperate, and his eyes never left mine, even when he stood up and pulled me close for the last part of the dance. Eventually, the music reached it musical flourish of an end, and everyone cheered and tossed handfuls of white satin rose petals into the air. As they rained down around us, Cal smiled down at me and glancing at the top of my head with a mischievous grin he said, "You have something on your head."

I frowned in confusion as I reached up and plucked whatever was there off. In my hand was a wreath of jasmine, and Juliet garden roses, and rice flowers. I looked at it in surprise only for Cal to slowly wrap his hand around the other end and lean down. I glanced up at him in surprise, and with a gentle smile he said, "I'm pretty sure the dance is over, and that was on your head the whole time."

My eyes widened at his inference, and I laughed before slowly setting it back on my head. I would have to wear it the whole night, and eventually I would have to take it back to my room and tuck it under my bed, so that Cal would eventually ask me to marry him. We would sleep on it together. It was a stupid superstition though, and besides, Cal and I already slept in the same bed. I'm sure it was supposed to be for a girl who still slept on her own.

Cal smiled down at me though, and pulled me close while everyone gathered on the floor around us to dance and chat. They filled the empty spaces like water rushing into a dam. They flowed around us as the world seemed to blur into nothing. I smiled up at Cal though, seeing only him in that moment. Lifting up my chin, he leaned down and pressed his lips against my own. Slowly, I wrapped my arms around his neck and let him lift me onto my toes the slightest bit. So short, he always teased when he had to do that to kiss me, and I felt my lips curl up into a smile at the thought.

When we finally pulled away, the musicians had cued up another dance and everyone around us had leaped in. Cal pulled me off to the side though when I tried to slip back into the crowd to dance, and slipping his arm around my waist tightly, he pressed his lips to my temple. As we stood off to the side watching the couples dance, Cal whispered, "It's not too late Mare, we could… we could still do it."

"Do what, run away, hide?" I asked hesitantly, even though I knew exactly what he was asking of me. We had talked about it on the train ride across the border, as we had passed tiny farms and had seen little children running around in the fields, laughing at the freedom that was in their grasp. We had talked about leaving at the very end. Slipping out when no one was looking, and just running away and growing old together. We hadn't talked about children, little babies with red or silver blood, that danced around our feet and demanded to be picked up and loved no matter how fictional or imagined they were. I had thought about them though, hours afterward when we had been passing more hills that had bled into forest. I had thought about what would happen to those little innocent children if I actually had them. They would be hunted, they would be hated. They could be more powerful than any person before them, or they could be nothing. They might not even make it to term. The more we talked with people, the more we had all begun to realize just how much of a strange miracle Shade and Evangeline's baby was.

My heart had ached for that simplicity and future that Cal and I had described though, and in the moment, I knew Cal felt the same way, because eventually both of our smiles fell. We silently mourned the loss of that future in each other's arms, already missing the other even though we were right there still. As long as the Burner Crown existed though, our future was questionable at best. For that reasons, I hated the stupid crown. I wanted it smelted down to nothing but a slick oil like substance. I wanted to tear Archeon down by the roof and destroy the birthright that Cal had inherited. I would tear the very foundations of the Silver regime up by the roots to keep him with me.

His eyes met my own and with a sigh, I turned my eyes away to glance at the party. He was right, we could have run away, even right now. We could vanish from this very party and no one would notice until we were long gone. We could make a run for it and find a little spot, start a life and just pretend the past had never happened. Things never worked like that for me and Cal though.

"We can't, you know that." I murmured, and I felt his hand grip my waist tighter. I would miss that touch; I would miss him when this was all over. But we couldn't run away now, not when I knew that Maven was free to run around the Guard and cause havoc. Especially now that I knew Westin was doing something, and that she was playing games too. I couldn't abandon Shade, Evangeline, and their unborn child to that. I couldn't abandon Maggie, the little whisperer who was becoming a rebel that rivaled Farley a little more every day. I couldn't leave Julian and Sara, who we had only just gotten back. I was certain Cal couldn't leave them all either. We would not be able to return if we left, we would be completely cut off. I couldn't lose the family that I had built here, and neither could Cal.

Glancing back up, I tried to hide the tears of frustration that were burning in my eyes. When he saw them, I watched his face pale in surprise, and in response, I laid my head on his chest. He slowly cupped the back of my neck with his hand then, and we remained like that. His thumb running soft circles at the base of my hairline, while I fought the burning anger and pain that was building up in my throat. Closing my eyes softly, I wrapped my arms around his middle and grabbed fistfuls of his shirt. I felt the warm brush of his familiar heat wrap around the two of us, and I clung to that, and to him, with everything in me. In the middle of the storm we had created, we swayed softly with the music as the world slowly melted until it was just the two of us.

 _(/_ _ **Lakelander Palace, Trial**_ _/)_

Samson leaned his chin on his fist as he observed the Queen of the Lakelands for the seventh time today. He had spent over a week in the capital, and had enjoyed every second of it. No wonder his predecessors had done everything in their power to try and take the Lakelands by force. The Queen had proven more stubborn than he could have ever imagined though. She was elusive, and cunning, and reminded him of himself, but she was no whisperer. She could not look into his mind, like he could look into everyone here. She remained at a distance because of that, and he knew that as well. They were like two wolves then, circling each other and trying to determine where the other's weakness was. He already knew what the Queen's weakness was though. She loved her son, and daughter more than anyone should. The latter was missing from the palace though. Most likely on retreat to the temple that was housed on the other side of the massive territory of the Lakelands, as Ptolemus had informed him.

Still, he needed her gone, and he would find a way to remove her. Princesses didn't bode well, living heirs didn't bode well. If he had learned anything from this whole damn situation with Tiberias, it was that. Still, the Prince of the Lakelands was here in the Palace, and the Queen was here too.

He had played his cards well during his time here too. He had been working on this treaty with them since he had set foot on Lakelander soil. So far he had been successful. All he needed now though, was for the Queen to agree with his latest proposal. She had balked at first, had laughed at it really. She had come back stating she had no need for a king, that she could handle her country just fine on her own. He had hoped she would say that. An arrogant queen was a clumsy queen. His trap had closed expertly, and neither the queen nor her son had even suspected that he was there to remove her.

Now was no different. She had sent her guards out and down the hall so that they could all speak in peace. Samson had agreed happily and had ordered Ptolemus out as well. The Lord of Iron had hidden his surprise well, but he had still hesitated a second when he left, until Samson had thrown him a cool glare. Now it was just him though, the Queen, and her son Robert. Robert couldn't have been much older than Tiberias, and when Samson had mentioned the exiled prince, the Prince of the Lakelands had snorted in amusement and shared everything he had studied about the Crown Prince of Norta. The two of them had probably been pushed to know everything about each other, so that when they both took their respected thrones, they were able to kill the other mercilessly. But what Robert knew, was pitiful compared to what Samson himself knew.

Robert was only boy though, still untested. Tiberias had unfortunately left boyhood far behind him. If any of his actions demonstrated anything, it was that. It irked Samson to no end. If he was still dealing with a boy like he had hoped, he would have destroyed Tiberias long ago. He would have crushed him like a bug, the way his sister should have done. Instead she had played with her food and something else had plucked it up and taken it. Now it was his job to hunt down the Guard and crush them into the dust.

Queen Isadora glanced at Samson over the rim of her goblet and spoke softly, although her demeanor would have led someone to believe that voice was not her own, "Your prepositions have been very interesting Your Majesty, and I have taken them all into consideration."

Now, now was the moment he should leap. He held that beast in his mind back though. Soon, he soothed it, soon he would rip her throat out and sign that treaty in her blood. Her dark skin was like a shadow in the light of the fire that was unnecessary with the heat of the day. She was a study woman, and was built like an ox. He wouldn't stand a chance in a physical battle with her. At first, Samson had thought she was a Strongarm. She was a nymph though, like her husband had been. Their children were nymphs, and their grandchildren would be nymphs as well. The line would continue, just as the Calore line had. But now that Samson was here, the end of that line was near.

"I'm glad to have had the time to speak with you about them," Samson replied as he set his own goblet down, "and I'm glad that your men did not shoot me on the spot when I drove across the Choke. This meeting has been a long time coming."

Isadora nodded, and set her goblet down as well. Her dress whispered along the tile as she rose from the seat that she had occupied for the past two hours while they continued to discuss the terms of the treaty. The final version sat between, or so he hoped. She was apparently still stuck on the idea of the marriage though. Without a doubt that was what she was about to bring up. He had battled her on it for going on a day now, and she refused every time. This time though, he could almost the taste the hesitancy on her tongue. He knew a way to push her over the edge if he had to. Sitting back, he set his hand on his pant pocket and felt the little thin vial that he had hidden there. It was the last thing he would use if Isadora did not listen to him or so much as agree. He had learned from his father that sometimes to make someone agree with you, you had to eliminate them. Without Isadora and her son in the way, he would take the Lakelands and use the army it came with to finally decimate the Scarlet Guard.

"Indeed it has, my husband was always such a war mongrel. All of that death just for a strip of land and some electricity." Isadora laughed as she brushed off her skirts by the fireplace. Samson smiled as well, knowing that Isadora was practically a fish on his hook. Her son Robert sat at the desk some ways away, watching Samson with an eagle eye. Robert had been the hardest to convince and the hardest to control. Unlike his mother, he was a bit more of a freethinker. Standing slowly, he approached Samson and said, "We need that electricity, our people are suffering in darkness."

"And they'll have it Your Highness," Samson reiterated for what felt like the hundredth time. Perhaps he was doing the Lakelands a favor by removing the softhearted heir. They would certainly prosper without some soft fool sitting on the throne after his mother had died.

"I don't believe you," Robert hissed as he set his goblet down, "I've seen the videos, I've seen Tiberias and the Little Lightning Girl. They made a video condemning the Nortian Crown for murder and for lying to its people."

"Watching that propaganda is like condoning it," Samson warned coolly, eyeing Robert with a new view. The boy was sympathetic to them; he could feel it oozing off of him. That made him more dangerous that Samson had originally thought. With his influence over his mother that meant he could make her sympathetic also. She would not let him do what he wanted if the rest of the crown was sympathetic to the roaches that dared to call themselves a rebellion.

Standing to his full height which was a full head taller than Samson himself, Robert replied, "The people are angry. The Reds are demanding our heads on spikes, surely you feel the same fear we do. There are a hundred Reds to one Silver, and now these New Bloods are here. The people are rallying behind them. They see the future in them and we are the past." The Prince turned to his mother and setting his goblet down on the table near Samson, grabbed Isadora's arm pleaded, "Mother, Jessabelle shares my views, we must listen to the people, this notion of reverting to the past will only cause more problems."

"Where is the Princess by the way?" Samson asked innocently as he rose and slid the vial out of his pocket. If this was the way it was going to be, then he had to get rid of these two. Robert would wear his mother down eventually, and she would back off the Scarlet Guard. Samson couldn't have that. He needed them removed, especially now that Calore and Barrow were here in the Lakelands. If he could wipe them all of the map, then he could score a major point for his camp. After they were removed, it would be simple to hunt down the ones that crawled out from the sewers to avenge their losses. That legion that Barrow and Calore commanded had been causing trouble in Norta recently. The red haired girl and the boy that was always with her, had been running amuck and saving the New Bloods that he rescued. They were stoking the fire that their leaders had left behind, and that was unacceptable. The only way he could stop them and slow them down, would be to get rid of Mare and Cal. He needed the Lakelander army to do that. He needed control over the Lakelands so that he could raid any and every building where they could be hiding.

The Prince ignored his comment and spun his mother to face him so that the Queen's back was to Samson. "Mother please, the country is going up in flames as we speak, the world is changing, we must change with it. This treaty will tie us to a country that is slowly burning."

Turning to the goblets, Samson tipped the vial over, letting the contents spill into one and then the other. He glanced over his shoulder at the Queen, and the Prince, before swirling the contents slowly. There was no use in trying to keep them around, they were just going to cause problems.

"We are burning as we speak as well, you'd do well to remember that Robert," Isadora sniffed as she pulled away from her son and walked toward Samson. Sinking down on the couch she looked up at him and whispered, "Our countries have been at war long enough, it's time we put down the guns and return home to deal with the problems there. I agree to your terms Your Majesty."

Samson smiled as he sank down in the chair he had been occupying before, "Of course, I couldn't agree more."

Isadora signed the treaty with a flourish and handed it to Samson who took it gratefully and signed as well. He capped the pen in the silence that followed and then grabbing his goblet rose and said, "A toast, if you please."

Isadora rose and took her goblet eagerly and handed her son's back to him. Robert took it wearily and eyed Samson as Isadora raised hers and said, "To a new future, may we succeed in crushing this resistance and bringing peace back to our homes."

Samson raised his in agreement and watched as Isadora drained the last of her glass, along with Robert. He raised his glass as well, his lips curling up in a grin around the rim as he watched them. The final test, to see if the mix was potent enough to cause the damage he wanted. If it worked here, he would report back to his labs that the mix was ready and that they needed to begin preparing for the assult.

Isadora lowered the glass from her lips and smiling at her son she said, "Call your sister back from wherever she had run off to, we have a wedding to plan, and," Isadora was interrupted by a cough. She grabbed at her throat and gasped for air. Robert grabbed her arm and whispered his mother's name, before looking at Samson and hissing, "What have you done?"

Smirking at the Prince, Samson gathered up the treaty off the table and said, "It's just good business child, and a lesson you won't get to learn from."

Robert glanced down at the goblet in his hand before dropping the cup and collapsing forward at the same time that his mother did. His head snapped up to glare at Samson as he spit, "You'll pay for this, you'll suffer eternally—"

"I think that may be in a while your Highness," Samson said with a wicked sharp grin. He watched as Isadora gasped for air one last time before her head dropped to the floor with a thud that was as dull as the look in her eyes. Robert reached out with a hand that was coated in veins that had gone black with the serum. He looked up at Samson in fear, only to fall forward as well. He landed next to his mother with his eyes open, and a small dripple of the poison rolling off his lips.

Samson crouched down next to them, and checked their pulses individually before taking his own goblet and spilling the remaining wine in a puddle around the Prince's mouth to hide the dribble of black. He stood then, and adjusted the lapels of his jacket before running his hands through his hair to smooth it down. It had been so easy to remove them, so easy to dispose of the pathetic monarchy established here. It was a pity no one had tried something like this before. His lips curled up in a grin as he turned to leave the study. Now all that came next was to show the treaty to the court and claim himself as the King that Isadora had left behind. He would send Ptolemus out after that for the Princess and she would be removed in due time.

Grabbing the door handle, he glanced back at the two royals, their glassy eyes seeming to stare at him as well. "You poor stupid fools," he murmured before opening the door and painting a pained and horrified expression on his face. He burst out into the hallway, barely catching himself on the opposite wall. Shouting for help, he stumbled down the hallway to where the Queen's Honor Guard had snapped to attention.

"The Queen, and the Prince," Samson gasped, "they've been poisoned!"

The guards rushed past him, one shouting for a healer, another shouting to block all exits, they couldn't let the killer escape. Samson watched them run, and slowly straightened up, his grin returning. Out of the shadows, Ptolemus bled into existence and whispered, "They're dead then?"

"As dead as can be." Samson assured, his grin turning feral. They had let the wolf into their palace, and now they would lock it in with the sheep unknowingly. Turning to Ptolemus, he said, "Find the Princess and remove her. We can't have another Tiberias running around with the Guard."

Ptolemus bowed his head and clicked his heels together before departing quickly to fulfill Samson request. He glanced over his shoulder only once when Samson spoke again

"And Ptolemus, don't mess this up again. I've been patient with you. But there is not room for mistakes now." He spoke with his back to Ptolemus and his eyes on the far door where the guards were emerging, realizing that they had been too late. Ptolemus nodded carefully, knowing that by now he had spent all his chances. Any more missteps would result in a punishment that would end him. As he turned on his heel to leave, he watched his king for another moment. Samson stood at stiff attention in the middle of the hall, his face shroud in shadow, Death cloaked in darkness. Ptolemus shivered at the prospect, only to turn and hurry away, and not look back again.

 _ **A/N**_

 _ **Hello darlings, it honestly feels like it's been forever. It took a while to get back in the swing of this story and get this chapter done. And honestly, I would have written more during my semester this year but it just wasn't meant to be. I want to try and get another chapter out before the end of my winter break, but we'll see. Thank to everyone for the amazing reviews and comments. You guys are so sweet and I'm honestly so happy to see that so many of you enjoy this story enough to hold on while I was on a major hiatus from it. Hopefully I can make it up to you. Once again, thank you for your patience!**_


	12. Chapter 10

Gold as the Crown Chapter 10

 _(/_ **Cal** _/)_

I woke with Mare's elbow digging into my side, and I huffed as I tried to roll away from her, only for my hand to slide off the bed. I scrambled back the other way, surprised by how close I was to the edge, only to slam into Mare who hissed in annoyance at being woken up.

"Cal," she groaned as she set her hand on my side to keep me an arm's length away and murmured something else. I apologized under my breath and growled softly, "It would help if you kept your elbows and knees to yourself, they're very bony and they hurt when you stick them into my sides."

"Then put some meat on your bones and stop whining." Mare grumbled before sighing, and sitting up. Rubbing her eyes, she stretched her legs out in front of her, shifting the blankets and pushing them off of me. I hissed at the cold, but shivered as I felt Mare's hands slide along my back up to my shoulders. Her lips traced the line from the middle of my back up to my hair line where she nipped at my skin softly and whispered, "We should get up and train."

With her nipping and murmuring like that I had a feeling she had hand to hand combat in mind. I murmured my agreement still though as she climbed over me, and dropped to the floor with feline grace. I watched her outline in the dark as she danced around the table and turned the little gas lamp in the corner on. She bent over her pack and glanced over her shoulder at me with a raised brow when she noticed that I hadn't followed her. Smirking at her, I pushed the blankets back completely and then slipped down to join her. She turned her back again to get changed and I kept my back to her as I changed as well. I grabbed a shirt and tugged it on over my head before running a sleepy hand through my hair, mussing it further.

Mare's cold fingers traced my sides and I almost yelped in surprise as she tugged on the hem of my shirt. I flipped around to face her in surprise and she blinked at me in surprise before smirking and crossing her arms.

"Your shirt is inside out," she teased before reaching out to grab the hem again and tug it up. I grabbed the back of it and slowly pulled it off while she turned her back to lace up her boots. I held my shirt in my hand for a moment, wondering if she had meant to be like that this morning. She had been a bit more intimate since the wedding, and I had been more than happy to oblige; even now I was more than ready to.

She passed by me though, throwing my boots at me over her shoulder. I barely managed to catch them, and she smirked at me before slipping out of the room. Sighing to myself, I sat down at the table to slowly tied my boots. I heard the springs in one of the beds shift, and I glanced up to see Maggie sitting on the edge of her bed watching me with dream clouded eyes. I smiled at her as I finished tying one of my boots and whispered, "Go back to sleep Maggie, everything's fine."

She rubbed her eyes before sliding off the bed and walking past me to her own bag. I watched her pick up her clothes and turn her back to change. I raised my brow before turning back around to tie my other boot. I heard her mumble to herself as she sat down to tie her boots. Running my fingers through my hair again I glanced at her and asked, "Maggie, what are you doing? It's too early for you to be awake."

"I want to train though, you said I'm big enough to now." Maggie argued as she got up and stood in front of me. I looked her over for a second, taking in her stick thin legs and arms. She was going to be tall too, Sara had told me over lunch one day. The sooner she got to work getting her longer limbs under control, the easier it would be for her when she did finally get to her full height. Mare would be furious if I tried to start combat training with Maggie, but she at least deserved to try and learn proper running form and to get started on her strength training.

I watched her expression or a flicker of anything, but she simply tilted her head to the side and smiled softly. She was still very young, but when I was her age I had already started preparing for training. If we were going to take this war to the Silvers, we would need all hands on deck, including Maggie. She would need to be prepared, and even if I started now, she would not be nearly prepared enough for a major battle.

"You're right Maggie, I did say that." I murmured as I set my hand on her shoulder and rose from the chair. She smiled brightly and watched as I dimmed the gas lamp. She practically sprinted for the door tugging on my hand as she went to get me to go faster. I let her, but after closing the door behind me, I turned to her and warned, "We're not going to do combat practice. You'll need to build up your strength and stamina before you can start on anything else."

Her lips draw into a tight line, but she nods in understanding. I knew she would understand. No matter how badly she wanted to learn to really fight, she had to learn the basics, like everyone else. The good news was that she wouldn't bother me until my ears bled about the whole thing.

I started down the hallway with her, and at the end of it, I could see Mare waiting patiently. As we approached she raised her brow at the two of us and glanced at Maggie before giving me a look that could melt steal. Setting my hand on her hip though, I guided her to our pace and then explained, "Nothing serious, just some fitness and strength."

She opens her mouth to argue only for Maggie to say, "Like what we were doing in the boiler room!"

"Boiler room?" Mare frowned as she tried to remember what Maggie was referring to. I raised her brow in surprise at the fact that she had almost forgotten something so vital to our past. It took her a few more steps to realize what Maggie was talking about, and she huffed as she said, "Oh yes, that boiler room."

Giggling Maggie forged ahead of us, happy to be out of the room and moving around. She hadn't been allowed to really leave the room except to get meals with all of us. No doubt she was getting stir crazy. We used to have so much more space in the compound, and so much more space at my Grandmother's estate. I wondered if she missed that place, it had been the closest thing to a real home that she had even known, and I wondered if she thought that was what awaited us after this war. I hoped she didn't ask me that question though, because I honestly did not have an answer for her. I didn't know what awaited us when this was all over, I didn't even know when it would really end. I didn't even know what awaited us tomorrow. The future was in such a flux now, it was impossible to try and predict where we would be tomorrow. We would probably still be here though, that was the only predetermined setting in our lives at this moment.

Mare kept pace with me as we made our way down the hallway, and whispered, "She'll be tired later, and will probably sleep through her reading lesson with Julian. He won't thank you for that."

"He'll get over it," I replied quickly, and earned another admonishing look from her for my comment. I simply raised my brow at that, and asked, "What?"

She shrugged with a little laugh and looking forward again, she replied, "Nothing, don't worry about it."

We turn the corner with Maggie after that comment and approach the training room. Maggie practically bounced off the walls of the corridor as we arrived, and Mare told her to calm down a few times as I opened the door and stepped out of the way for them. Maggie rushed in first, excitement written on her face as she tried to take everything in with the lights dimmed to preserve power. I turned them on to their maximum levels in the corner and stepped up next to Mare to watch Maggie wander around the room and look at everything.

"Just strength and fitness, right?" Mare's voice was hushed, but strained as she asked her question, and I turned to her in confusion, wondering why she was so worried all of the sudden. Her hands were in the pockets of her jacket though, and she didn't look like she was giving away any sort of worry or fear in his facial expression. I knew her better than most though, and I could see the truth is the smallest of her tendencies. I had seen her cheek muscle flutter as she watched Maggie and I knew from experience what that meant.

"She'll be fine. She's not going to be following us into battle any time soon. Besides, she was just fine in Delphie when we went." I assured as I stepped in front of her to take her attention off of Maggie and put it on me. Her eyes flashed to mine, before she whispered, "As soon as you start training her it's going to open the door for them to start looking at her as a soldier, and not a kid anymore."

"I was training at her age-"

"And look what that did." Mare hissed, her eyes wide in panic as she looked at Maggie again over my shoulder who was wandering around the room looking at everything. I felt my stomach clench in anger at Mare's words, but she didn't give me a chance to comment. She surged forward on the attack, her eyes darting back to me. "You saw yourself as a soldier and not a kid, you told me that. You told me you never felt like you got to be a child, she's still a child." Mare's voice cracks on the last words, and I see her cheek flutter again even though she's doing a spectacular job of hiding her real emotions.

Sighing, I reached out and tucked a stray strand of her hair behind her ear. She tried to pull away, her fury at my gentle touch obvious, until I whispered, "This is different. No one is sending Maggie to the Choke. No one is going to take her and throw a gun in her hands and send her to battle. I won't let them, and neither will you." My fingers trailed along her cheek, but she turned away before replying in just as soft of a whisper, "They won't listen to us though… she's too young to kill, Cal."

I hesitated for a fraction of a second, wondering if that was really all that wrong. Maggie's ability had been exploding out of her since we had first met her, and now more than ever she was excelling in it. Her ability was dangerous, and I wouldn't be surprised if she took her first kill soon. According to everyone I had ever trained under, whisperers often took their first kill when they were young, simply because they had no control over what they could do.

Now more than ever though, Mare needed to hear that Maggie would get to stay a child. I reached out again, and this time, Mare did not pull away as I cupped her face. Leaning close to her, I pressed a feather light kiss on her hairline and murmured, "I will make sure that she knows the consequences of what she is learning and what could happen. I won't let her go into battle until she assures me, and shows me, that she is more than ready to handle the consequences that come with it."

"I hope she never has to know the consequences," Mare breathed, and I closed my eyes, trying to keep us in this small moment for just a few more seconds. Maggie would not be contained though, and cleared her throat from the other side of the room to get our attention. We broke apart instantly, as she crossed her arms to announce, "I want to train, not sit and watch you two all morning."

Mare smirked at that, and taking steps toward the dais she replied, "Are you sure you're ready for how sore you are going to be? Cal won't go easy on you, I won't let him."

Maggie grinned broadly at that, and setting her hands on his hips she said, "I'm ready for whatever he throws at me."

(/)

It took approximately two hours for Maggie to collapse from exhaustion. She laid back on the mat and panting announced to the ceiling, "Can we be done?"

I sat up from my own sit ups and then said, "We still have pull ups to do, those are the most important."

Maggie blew out a long drawn out sigh, and then rolled to look at Mare who is working with a bag in the far corner of the room. We both watched her for a second before Maggie finally sat up and then asked, "How long until I can do what Mare can do?"

Shrugging at her question, I continued to watch Mare in silence for a few more heartbeats until she paused and turned as if she noticed our eyes. She wiped the sweat off her brow and then smirking at the two of us she strode over asking, "What are you two staring at?"

I shrugged again, and Mare quirked a brow at that response before setting her hands on her hips and looking at Maggie who sighed and collapses back again. Snorting with amusement, Mare sat on the edge of the sparing ring and crossing her arms, asked, "Too hard Maggie?"

"Cal made me do so many sit ups, my stomach hurts now." Maggie grumbled, as she pushed on her stomach and stretched her legs out as far as she could. I smiled at her antics and then rising to my feet, I replied, "it will get better as you do it more and more."

Maggie simply gave me a doubtful expression before climbing to her hands and knees. She crawled to Mare and then wrapped her arms around Mare's neck before asking, "Can I have a piggy back ride to breakfast? My legs are so tired."

Sighing, Mare nodded and then stood so Maggie could wrap her legs around Mare's middle. Mare bounced her for a second until Maggie was in a more comfortable position, causing laughter to escape from the girl as they walked across the room. I followed behind them, watching as Maggie whispered something in Mare's ear that makes both of them laugh. Tucking my hands in my pockets, I paused for a moment, just so that I can watch the two of them. I couldn't remember that last time I had simply stopped and watched people enjoy time together. Normally, I was busy running from one council meeting to the next, or going on a mission somewhere. We had never had to remain underground like this for so long before. There was no word regarding Samson or what was happening in the Lakelander court though. I wondered if the Queen had bowed out and had given Samson control, or if she had stood her ground and held off the whisperer. I had a feeling she would never successfully hold him off for forever though. Samson was cunning, and if he could find a loop hole to get his way, he would exploit the entire system. He and his sister had been spectacularly gifted at doing things like that.

Before Mare could open the door out of the training room, Maggie gripped her neck tightly and said, "Everyone's going to the mess hall."

We both frowned and looked at her, but Maggie was staring into space as she said, "There's an important meeting that we have to go to, everyone's there already, waiting for us."

Mare opened the door into the hallway, and I hurried after her, and into the hallway that was packed with people. We both froze, and watched people wander by in massive hordes. Normally at this time in the morning, the civilians were not awake, but all of them were here, making their way toward the mess hall it seemed. Maggie frowned as she said, "The Colonel is making an announcement, we missed the message I guess."

Mare glanced at me, her eyes narrowed in worry, before she said, "Well, regardless of whether or not we heard the message about the meeting, we have to go."

We made our way into the crowd, and the mass of people absorbed us as we made the short walk to the mess hall. Inside, everyone was already sitting or standing, depending on where their group was. In the middle, near the front, Shade stood up and waved to us. Mare nudged her elbow into the man in front of her, and he grunt an obscenity at her as she walked by. I apologized for her in turn, but didn't stay long to hear the rebuke that came with what he had to say.

Mare eventually crouched down to let Maggie drop off her back, and the girl ran to Julian who smiled at her and asked her how her training was. She smiled and began to chatter with him about what she had done. Sara gave me and Mare a smile in response and then gesture to the empty chairs on the other side of the table. I sank into one gratefully, and Mare followed me to sink into the other. All around us, people were muttering about what this was all about, because standing on the platform that was in the center of the mess hall, was the Colonel, Farley, Westin, and a few others who were dressed in the same official uniforms that Westin wore. They all had the marks of Command, and for a moment, I wondered if these were the people who had decided that Maven should be allowed to wander free. Sure enough, my brother appeared near the foot of the stage, and took a seat on his own. People gave him a wide berth, but he didn't seem to mind that in the slightest.

The mess quieted when the Colonel stepped forward, his hands behind his back, and his eyes as cold as I remembered from when we had spoken with him privately. Mare shifted to be closer to me, and resting her head on my arm she whispered, "This can't be good."

"Obviously, or else they wouldn't have called all of us." I replied to her with a frown, before turning my head back to the Colonel, who cleared his throat and announced to the group assembled, "Ladies and Gentlemen, we have been informed of an advancement in the Lakelander Court."

Another wave of murmurs rose up. Almost all of the spies had been evacuated, they had left on their own and made their way out of the city to avoid detection, but apparently not all of them had. I glanced at Shade in question, and he shrugged before whispering, "Farley hasn't said a word to me about any of this."

I frowned and then looked forward again as the Colonel looked forward and announced, "The Queen is dead, along with her son."

The uproar that followed his statement was almost deafening, people stood up and shouted in horror, many of them demanding to know how that was possible, others shouting to know what would happen to us now. As far as any of us were concerned, this was nothing new. However, as we had learned during our time here, the Queen had mostly left the Guard and Command alone, believe it to simply be a nuisance that she could stamp out whenever she felt like it. Someone new might think otherwise, which put all of us in serious danger. Mare slid her hand down to mine and squeezing my fingers, she said, "Bets are that Samson is now in control."

"The Queen also has a daughter." I replied. My eyes narrowed as I continued, "Often, the daughter is one to assume the throne in the Lakelander court, unless the male is significantly older than her. And if I recall, Robert was the same age as me, and Jessebelle was significantly younger than Maven, maybe a few years or so. She would have been fifteen or sixteen this past year."

"So she's still a viable heir." Mare murmured, and her words made my stomach flip. She was young, which meant Samson could take her out just as easily as he had probably done with her mother and brother. I glanced at Mare, and then lowered my mouth to her ear to whisper, "I have a feeling that fact will not stand for long."

When I pulled away we both shared a worried glance, only for our thoughts to be interrupted by the Colonel holding his hands up for silence. It came after a few heartbeats. He pursed his lips tightly, and then swallowed visibly before saying, "And the court has named Samson Merandus… King of the Lakelands and Norta," the outcry was just as loud if not louder, and we only heard the next part of his statement because we were so close to dais, "due to a treaty that was signed hours before the Queen was announced dead."

"Looks like Samson got in and got what he wanted." Shade spit as he crossed his arms and glowered at the lip of the dais.

"He'll hunt us down," Evangeline followed up, her hand falling to her stomach as she looked at Shade with a genuine expression of terror. "He knows we're in the Lakelands, and he won't stop until he has all of us in shackles."

"He won't stop until he wipes the entire Guard off the map," I corrected, my eyes hardening as I looked at the Colonel who had stepped forward further to almost the edge of the platform. He looked all of us over, his eyes seemed to catch on the families in the back. I wondered if he had gotten his family involved with the Guard, and that was why Farley had been as high ranking as she was. If that was where Farley's mother and other members of her family had been lost. Maybe that was why their relationship was as rocky as it was.

He shook himself out slightly and then announced, "Our last spy in the court has informed us that he had been preparing the Nortian armies to march west toward the Lakelands in order to join them with the Lakelander forces and continue west."

It was so quiet that I could hear everyone breathing around me, their fear rising up in the room like smoke. The Colonel looked pained as he said, "Montfort must be protected at all costs, we are the front of the line, the first road black to Samson's forces. We will stand firm, prepared from him to come at any moment." There was silence still, and it was still as a graveyard in the mess hall, no one even dared to move. Mare's hand slowly slid into mine, and she squeezed my hand tightly. This is what we had feared, our last safe place being taken from us.

Bowing his head to everyone, Colonel Farley stepped back to allow his daughter to step forward. Our Captain spoke about how we had remained in hiding for so long and how the same measures would be implemented here to keep everyone safe. As she spoke, I thought of how exposed we had ended up being in the old compound, and how much harder it would be escape a place like this. We were safe down here, but we were miles underground, and it would take massive amounts of manpower and time to move everyone out of the place like this. Not to mention what would happen if Samson himself came like he had last time.

"Where's Montfort?" Maggie asked softly, obviously reading all of our minds and sensing the fear we all felt. Julian glanced down at her with a weak smile and said, "It is one of the northwestern countries. It shares a boarder with the Lakelands. There… isn't much known about it. They tended to keep to themselves, even after the blood divide. They were ransacked during the very beginning of the Nuclear Wars. They have very tight borders, and no one really goes in or out."

Maggie swallowed visibly before looking up at Westin and asking, "But that is where she's from?"

"Yes," I replied, from the little I had been able to gather on Command and Westin, I had learned that they were based out of Montfort, and that Command very rarely left the safety of Monfort's borders. Which made it all the stranger that Westin had been sent to meet us.

Mare gripped my hand in vice at her sudden thought and then choked, "The serum, he still has it… by now he probably has enough to wipe every single Newblood off the map with it."

Our table went silent, and I felt my hand grow warmer, and then damp as I recalled every painful second under that serum's influence, and the long days and weeks after when I had to recover from the antidote, which was non-existent now because Mare had used it all on me. Those delirium filled days had been the worst of my life. There had been times when I had actually wished that I was dead, and it had taken sheer willpower to not shout at everyone trying to help me to just let me die. That would have been so much easier. No more pain, no more worrying. It would have all been over so quickly.

"We have to warn the Colonel about it, he has to know that Samson could use that, and that it could wipe out massive amount of our numbers." Sara supplied, one of the first comments she had made since we had sat down. Her words brought me out of my memories, and I nodded as I watched the Colonel, and the others slowly descend from the platform. Soldiers ushered people out of the mess hall, their expressions blank as they moved people who didn't want to leave yet. It wouldn't be long before they reached out table and told us to leave too.

Mare rose before any of us, and pushed her way through the crowd, making me sigh as I raced after her, hissing, "Mare, slow down, he's not going to like us storming up to him and-"

She had already reached the Colonel though and straightening her spine said, "Sir, we have valuable information that you need to know."

The Colonel looked down at her over his shoulder, and narrowed his eyes before turning back to another member of Command and continuing to speak to them. Mare's shoulders pulled back in shock and I felt the charge in the air that she created as she prepared herself to make sure that the Colonel knew that she was not someone to simply be pushed aside. I grabbed her arm though, before she could do anything and growled in her ear, "He, obviously, is busy."

"He needs to know though," Mare replied stiffly as she yanked her arm out of my grip, and glared at the Colonel's back. The woman he was talking to glanced at us over his shoulder and then whispered something to him before turning and leaving. Sighing heavily, Colonel Farley turned around and with a tight lipped smile that looked more like a sneer he asked, "Yes, Miss Barrow?"

"Samson Merandus has access to weapon that could kill large members of our group. It might be in your best interest to go after it." Mare snipped as she crossed her arms and nudged me with her shoulder, trying to get me to say something to support her. Sighing, I said, "Mare's right, it's a bioweapon, something that could be put into the water. I've experienced its effects. It will kill everyone here if we don't try and get the formula or destroy all of it."

Raising his brow at us, the Colonel said, "I'm afraid there is nothing we can do. Command has ordered us to close our doors and to wait for Samson's first move."

"With all due respect sir, that's not a good idea. Samson has been trained how to beat you down when you are on your back foot. It's best if we attack first." I argued, seeing his eyes narrow at my words. Behind him, I saw Farley approach, her eyes hard as she said, "He's right. We've dealt with Samson before, and have waited for him to attack first. That was our first mistake."

Her father looked at her sideways for a moment before saying, "You were all still recovering from a virus that killed almost all your people, and from a split in your numbers. We have no split in our numbers, nor will our location be given away by some pompous ass who thinks he knows how to lead a rebellion."

Farley squared her shoulders, and I said stiffly, "Our spy could be caught at any time, and if they know this location, Samson will not have to work very hard to get it."

Colonel Farley huffed, but before he could reply, Westin spoke from behind us, "You two have nothing to worry about, we have an operative working on it."

"Well," Mare began, flipping around in surprise, her eyes narrowing, but Westin's lips pulled up in a smile and she interrupted, "You have nothing to fear Miss Barrow, nothing to worry about at all."

A few soldiers stepped up on either side of us, and with a smile, Westin said, "Try not to put unnecessary stress on yourself, it's bad for your future health."

With that, the soldiers nudged us in the direction of everyone else, giving us a gruff command to move. Falrey went to protest, but Westin grabbed her arm and pulled her away. My brother trailed after them, and I glanced at Maven over my shoulder then. He was busy trying to disappear among the crowd with Westin, and I didn't think he would notice my look. Still, his eyes met mine over the space, and for a moment, I saw a flash of fear in his eyes.

He turned away before I could really determine if that was what I saw, but I knew, deep down in the depths of my heart, that he was not afraid of me. He feared something else, something far more sinister that had snaked its way onto the Lakelander throne. I wondered if that had been Maven's plan all along, or if he had just planned to keep the Lakelanders at arm's length. There was no telling, and as Mare and I were shuffled out of the mess hall and pushed into the dim hallway, I wondered if we were all in more danger that we really thought.

 _(/_ _ **Lakelander Palace**_ _/)_

Samson sat on the clear crystal throne on the raised dais in the Lakelands, watching everyone come forward and bow before vowing their undying loyalty. A bunch of animals, that's what he decided they were. They followed wherever the light pointed them, wherever the shepherd pointed. They bowed before pious gods, and bowed with the same reverence toward him as well. It was disgusting, they needed a firm hand to guide them, and he was more than happy to provide that.

Slowly he shifted until his elbow rested on the arm of the chair and he could then set his chin on his fist. Projecting the picture of pure and absolutely boredom to the court before him. He couldn't deny that he had seen a few young women with faces flushed and lips pale grey from crying. No doubt they mourned their chance to sit on this throne with the death of their beloved prince. Smirking to himself, Samson wondered how long it would be before their fathers brought them before him, begging for a proposal. Who would be the strongest among them, he wondered as his eyes scanned the hall. In the back, he saw a young Red servant moving among the families, her expression carefully schooled into neutrality, but he could read the hatred in her mind like a book. His lips drew in a tight line as he slowly reached out to scrape claws down her mind. She shivered, her short hair shifting as she did so. Narrowing his eyes even further, Samson called for her across the space.

The court parted like a sea for her as she slowly crept forward, her eyes practically burning a hole in the floor as she slowly fell to a reverent knee before the dais. Samson watched her for a few seconds, wondering exactly how he was going to pick her apart to get what he wanted. She would be defiant and stubborn though, that much he could read from her mind, that, and the fact that she felt like she was rapidly running out of time.

"You're so troubled," Samson whispered, more to himself than to her, but he still saw her shoulders tense in surprise at his words. He rose from the throne, and there were a few murmurs of confusion and fear in the crowd. None of them had ever seen a whisperer before, never in their own throne room. They would witness him first hand though, and what a fitting introduction to his new court this would be.

Reaching down, he slowly lifted her chin up so that she was forced to meet his eye. "What is your name child?" He asked softly, as his forefinger and thumb gripped her chin like a vice even though she tried to pull away slightly. The court murmured around them, and Samson smirked as he bent down and whispered in the girl's ear, "That or I could just take it from you. I assume it won't be that difficult."

She tensed, all of her body activating like a live wire, ready for danger. Samson sighed and then slowly trailed his fingers up her cheek, and felt her try to pull away. He grabbed her mind with claws, digging in and refusing to let go. She let out a soft shriek at the pain, and he grabbed her forehead at the same time, as he murmured, "I suppose you want to do this the hard way then, you little spy."

Her eyes widened, and he laughed softly as he said, "My goodness you are stupid, you and your little Scarlet Guard. Did you honestly think I didn't know who you were, or that you've been passing them information on my plans for the past week?"

He saw her chest rising and falling rapidly, but he ignored that, as he froze her body in place, forcing all her muscles into a burning paralysis. "If you sit still, this will be much easier."

A small sob escaped her, as she choked, "Please," her voice breaking, as Samson slowly closed off her throat so that she was left gasping for air like a fish. Sighing, he squeezed her head tighter and said, "No pleas for mercy, not here. It's too late for you to ask for forgiveness."

Tears raced down her cheeks and he grinned as he riffled through her mind for what he wanted, a name, he needed a name so that he could toss her body onto the steps and let the Guard try to crawl out of the shadows and drag her back to their hole where he would come creeping in like a fox in a hen house.

"Show me," he whispered to her, "Show me everything."

He pushed her head back, and she opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came out. Samson pushed harder, digging past all the little walls she had tried to construct. He punched through them like they were paper and eventually found what he was looking for.

The scene unfolded before him like a book opening, like paper slowly being unfurled and unfolded. The walls of an older nuclear compound, one that had sat unused for centuries after the Nuclear Wars. Equipment keeping its location carefully hidden, but he saw it then, the entrance. An old abandoned barn, the doors falling off the hinges. In the floor, buried beneath hay, a door that was meant to function as a lift to lift vehicles up out of the compound. Another one door in the wall to the right that led to a stair well into the compound.

He went through that door, following the stairs that winded down into the darkness. He heard metal clanging against itself, and then he heard the sound of voices, the sounds of people shouting orders. He stepped into it, into the midst of an underground hub. People paced everywhere, he saw Reds everywhere. Like vermin, he thought with a sneer. He passed through them like a ghost, looking at all the doors, all the hallways. As he went, he heard a familiar voice, and flipped around. Sure enough, walking through the compound in a small group, he saw the little group that had been causing him so much pain. A young woman led them through the compound. Yes, he counted all of them, all were present and accounted for. They were there then, hiding among the rats to protect themselves. He smirked as he followed them, but froze when he saw Evangeline. She clung to one of the Reds in their group, the one who could jump from one location to the other without moving, her eyes like steel knives as she kept her hand underneath the small mound that she was trying to hide with her shirt.

His stomach did a turn and he almost vomited. But he pushed past the feeling, and hissed at the sight. So she had decided to procreate with one of those filthy creatures. Fine, he would just have to gut her and hang the abomination from the pipes here. Maybe he would string it up Evangeline's intestines.

The image slowly melted away, and he inhaled sharply as if he was coming up for air after being underwater for too long. He looked down at the girl who was sobbing softly. He dropped his hand to her throat and whispered, "Thank you Noel, you've been… most helpful."

She looked up at him with wide terrified eyes as he placed his thumb on her jaw, and his fingers on the other side of her neck. She had to know this hold, no doubt they had taught it to her, and how to get out of it. But he kept her hands pinned to her sides. She strained against his hold, her mind screaming under his claws, squirming and trying to escape, its need to protect itself almost comical. Her large hazel eyes were rimmed red from her crying, and he whispered, "I'll be sure to send them your regards."

Her expression turned to steel suddenly as she spat, "They'll kill you, your reign will end before it will begin. We will rise, red as the-"

He twisted her head to the side sharply and he words were cut off as he snapped her neck. He dropped her body like a sack, and she crumpled to the ground. Someone in the crowd fainted at the sight. Samson sneered down at her and then stepping over her he said, "Ready our soldiers. We crush all of them tonight."

Ptolemus hurried down from his position behind the throne on the dais, completely unfazed by the disgusting spectacle of violence. "Where are we going Your Majesty?"

"A few hours journey west, in the middle of field is a barn, we will take that barn and flood down into the compound." Samson paused from his walk and his orders and then turned to look at the young Samos lord. Did he tell him about his sister, about the abomination she carried within her? His lips curled up in a sneer as he said, "Your sister is with them."

Ptolemus's eyes widened in surprise, but Samson saw the hope behind his eyes and he almost laughed as we went to crush that little glimmer. "She is with child, no doubt the child of that vermin that you let slip through your fingers."

All of the blood drained from the magnetron's face and Samson watched as the tiny scales on his armor began to lift and morph into spikes on Ptolemus's shoulders. Grinning at that, Samson said, "He is yours to do with as you see fit. But Barrow and Calore, they are mine. I want the two of them alive."

He wanted to make it slow and painful, as slow and painful as he could without killing them right away. He wanted them to last for years, so that he could pick them apart like a bird would its meal. His lips drew into a thin line to hide his excitement at being so close now, and whispered, "Prepare the device, I want to make Barrow squirm when we find her."

Ptolemus nodded, and then hurried out of the throne room. The court stood behind Samson, their expression ranging from shock to terror. Noel's body was still in a crumpled heap in front of the dais, and Samson huffed at the sight before saying, "Someone clean up that mess, we can't have a body stinking this place up."

With that, he turned on his heel and departed from the throne room, his hand clenching into a fist as he finally imagined wrapping his fingers around Mare Barrows slender neck.

 _ **A/N**_

 _ **Wow, okay so im back, not a moment too soon either cause war storm comes out in five days! I knw that I said I wanted to finish the series before the canon series is over but that is definitely not going to happen, we have a long way to go. I know this looks like the climax of the story but it Is far from it, I promise. ((((: Also, I'm proud to announce that I'm in summer, and I survived my second year of college. I've got three months to try and finish this, and I really, really want to finish this series before my junior year starts because I have other projects lined up after this one including my own fantasy trilogy that I'm looking to publish someday. But I'm not abandoning Red Queen, I love this series too much to not write more fanfiction for it.**_


	13. Chapter 11

Gold as the Crown Chapter 11

(/ ** _Mare_** /)

I woke to the sound of Maggie crying. When I sat up, I realized that Cal was missing from the bed. I rubbed at my eyes, trying to figure out why she was crying, only for the ground to shake around me, making the bed rock and the dirt above my head rain down onto my head. I gasped at that, and then shouted, "Down! Everyone down!"

Julian made a strangled sound of surprise at my scream, and I saw Shade pulling Evangeline out of bed, and grabbing their mattress before placing it on his back and crouching down with her, making sure that whatever happened, they were covered in case the ceiling caved in. Not that that would do much for us, considering the fact that there were miles of rock above our heads that would kill us if it collapsed on us.

I leaped from the bed, landing on the floor in a crouch. Looking around for Cal, I saw him underneath the table, clutching Maggie to his chest while she clung to him, crying softly. I threw myself under the table as another bomb hit us and rocked the room. A blaring siren suddenly sounded, and Maggie covered her ears and cried harder. I struggled underneath the table with Cal. His arm wrapped around me and pulled me close, so that my face was buried in his shirt. I looked out at Shade who had pushed Evangeline underneath the bed, and had tucked himself underneath with her. She clung to him tightly, and I saw her lips moving quickly as she told him something, her eyes watering from the dust. Underneath the other bed, Sara and Julian was trying to cover their noses and mouth to keep from inhaling too much of it.

The shaking went on for what felt like an hour, but when it finally stopped, the alarm continued to sound, and I saw a red light above the door flashing. I crawled out of Cal's arms, and out into the open, looking up at the ceiling where there was a large fissure in it. I coughed around the dust in the air, and then looked back at Cal who crawled out from under the table with Maggie, who was sobbing into his neck. I stumbled to the door, and then opened it. The hallway was filled with people shouting for their friends and family, crying for help because someone was injured. I took all of this in, and then saw the soldiers running through the crowd, pushing people out of rooms, calling for them to leave to make their way to the trucks. We were under attack, I realized, my next thought was to realize that it was Samson. He was here.

Behind me, Cal was urging everyone up and to grab bags, to grab all of our things. I turned quickly and grabbing my boots which were by the door, pulled them on and tucked my pants into them before grabbing the first jacket I could find. Cal was helping Maggie into her boots while Shade helped Evangeline from underneath the bed, her legs shaking slightly as he grabbed their bag that they had transferred all of their things into.

I hurried across the room to Julian and Sara who were grabbing their bags as well. I didn't care what I grabbed as I started throwing things into my bag. I grabbed Cal's things, and my things, just trying to shove as much as possible into the bag.

A soldier appeared in the doorway and began shouting for me and Cal. I looked up at the young man standing there, his forehead bleeding from a cut he had probably gotten from falling rocks that he hadn't been able to avoid.

"You're needed in the Hive." He shouted over the sound of the alarm, and Cal met my eyes over the space before handing Maggie to Shade who took her and set her on her feet. She clung to him, and then watched as Cal and I both turned and hurried out of the room, following the soldier who was leading us to the Hive.

The hallways we passed through were packed with people panicking and shouting and trying to make their way to the trucks. I glanced around at all of them and then choked, "There's not enough transports."

Cal looked at me then, his eyes burning as he replied, "I know."

What were they going to do, send the remaining people on foot? I couldn't afford to think about that though, because dammit I had to hope that they would get Maggie and Evangeline out. They would have too. Shade would find his way as best he could, and hopefully take Sara and Julian with him. I could only hope for that.

We climbed the stairs two at a time until we were in the Hive. The entire place was spilling over with people shouting orders and curses as they worked feverishly on computers. The soldiers guided us through the crowd and down the ramp that we had gone down before. In the pit, the Colonel was spitting instructions into his radio, while Westin was sending orders to other soldiers, telling them to ready transports to take people to a set of coordinates and prepare them to leave for Montfort. We were shoved down into that, and were absorbed into the chaos.

The Colonel took us in, standing at the base of the ramp, looking lost among the people running around, and then gestured for us to get across the room and join him. His expression was pained as he shouted something else into the radio and then turned to the massive table behind him. Schematics for the compound were spread out in front of him, and we pushed our way to the table to join him in looking them over. He grimaced as he looked at something and the lifted his radio to say, "Take them through the south most tunnels, we'll regroup in the hangar there and head for the airship fields. Get everyone in an airship, I don't care if they are overweight, we'll fly low and deal with it."

He turned to look at us then, and narrowing his eyes he asked, "How willing are you both to hold a line?"  
"Very," I answered, and felt Cal set his hand on my shoulder in reassurance. The Colonel looked the two of us over and then said, "You two will be in a group with a few other New Bloods, bringing up the back and picking up any stragglers that fall behind the main group."

Cal squeezed my shoulder and then asked, "How close in are they?"

"They haven't hit the residential areas yet, but they're getting close, and... we've already lost a whole squadron. Samson… Samson Merandus is here."

My inhale was sharp and I knew that the Colonel must have heard it, but he turned his gaze to Westin and then said, "Get your people out."

"What about you?" I asked stiffly, and he turned those bright blue eyes on me, eyes so like Farley's it was almost painful. He looked away then and said, "Someone has to remain behind and open the hangar doors from within the Hive. There is no way to do it from the hangar."

And even though he had been an ass for almost the whole time that we had known him, I knew that this was a price that was hard to pay. I shook my head and said, "You can't, Farley… she-"

"Diana knows what must be done. She left with the early group to make sure the transports were ready. She knows the cost." He murmured, and then turning to us, he narrowed his eyes at me and said, "I have not been her family for a long time, but you all, you have been and must continue to be. Do not let her down."

I took a step back then with the weight of that statement, feeling Cal pull me softly away. Westin grabbed her bag from behind the table, and patting the Colonel's arm softly she whispered, "Thank you… for your sacrifice and your service."

He followed her form with his eyes as she took off out of the Hive, a few people following behind her. His head slowly lowered then until he was looking at the maps again, and Cal tugged on my arm again, whispering that we had to go. I looked at the Colonel for a long moment though, and then whispered, "Whatever happens… I'm sure she'll be proud to call herself your daughter."

He looked at me for a moment, and underneath that hard exterior, I saw the man that might have once been a father, but who had been hardened by years of battle and loss. That was gone as fast as it came though, and he straightened his shoulders and said, "You two need to go, that's an order."

I nodded, fighting to urge to stay with him until the end, and turned with Cal to leave. We left the Hive at almost a sprint, and I was shocked to feel my eyes burning. I blinked a few times to push the tears down and then forced myself to a full sprint to keep up with Cal. The Colonel, regardless of how he had acted towards me and Cal and the others in our group, was still Farley's father. Like anyone else, she would mourn, and we would have to help her through that. So many losses in such a short time, especially for her. I wondered how she was able to take it all in stride. I was already fracturing under the weight of everything I had survived and gone through.

The hallways we sprinted down were almost empty, and as we went, I sent a prayer to whatever gods still existed that we would be able to get everyone out, and the no one else would have to make an impossible sacrifice. If we lost anymore numbers, I feared we would have nothing left to put up a fight with.

We rounded a corner and ran into a small group of Lakelander soldiers. Hissing in surprise, Cal dug his heels in, but they had already seen him. With a sweep of one of their hands, the rocks near our feet rocketed toward us at blinding speed. I managed to leap over the largest one, and threw myself into a roll before coming up to avoid the others, my lightning racing along my arms as I came up from my roll and into a crouch. Throwing a bolt in the direction of the group, I split it down the middle, taking out three of them in a row. They collapsed to the ground, withering masses of human beings, and the others hollered in anger as they advanced on us then.

I looked back at Cal, who hadn't been as fortunate as me to avoid the vast majority of the rocks. I watched him struggle to his feet, his hand reaching down to touch his knee, which seemed to shake for a fraction of the second. He glanced at me through narrowed eyes and with gritted teeth said, "I can handle it, it's fine."

I rose from my crouch, and called another bolt of electricity to hand, feeling it race up and down my arm as I threw up a shield to keep the soldiers from following us. Cal finally managed to right himself, and throwing his hand out as well, he ignited my shield, pushing flames along the bottom so that whatever sparks leaped off of my shield became bright blue flames. We edged along that shield, pushing it toward the soldiers, who were slowly being joined by reinforcements as the seconds ticked by. I watched them out of the corner of my eye, letting my shield lash out at whoever got too close. Cal kept an eye on the other hallways.

Another group came flying down one of them, and I hissed at that as I shouted, "Cal!"

He flipped around, throwing a ball of fire that didn't catch, not it hit the ground. It exploded into a massive flower of flame as soon as it made impact, and it sent the soldiers screaming as they covered their eyes from the heat and the light. I took that chance then to throw a bolt down the hallway, taking one of them out. My lightning was being drained quickly by my shield though, and I didn't have much power behind the throw. Before I could say anything though, Cal threw another ball of fire, this one hitting one of the Silvers. He screamed in agony and ran into his counterpart while trying to douse the flames. Soon they were all struggling to contain the blaze that their partner was spreading. I smirked at that and then looking over my shoulder at Cal who had pulled a pistol from his belt, I shouted over the snap and crackle of my shield, "We need to move towards the other group at the southern tunnels."

He nodded and then pushing his wall fire toward the group we were still holding off, he hissed, "Drop your shield, I'll follow behind after I push them back and give us a head start."

"Don't you dare lie to me," I snarled, as I watched his fire push the Silvers back. He turned to me and then said with fire flaring off every word said, "I wouldn't lie about this! Go and I will follow behind."

I chewed on the inside of my lip for a second before saying, "Fine, but you better keep up with me."

His lips pulled up into a grin as he said, "Alright short legs."

I tried not to huff at the comment, but still, my lips pulled up in a smile as I turned back to my shield which was starting to falter. Narrowing my eyes, I gave it one last burst of energy, watching it scream and then explode out, sending sparks and bolts everywhere. The Silvers cried out, and only a few were smart enough to put up some sort of shield with their abilities.

Immediately after my shield had fallen though, Cal pressed his advantage, pushing the Silvers back until they were almost thirty meters behind us. I turned on my heel and sprinted after I was certain that the Silvers were not going to follow me right away. My bag bounced off my back as I went, and my feet pounding on the floor too, creating a hollow echo that bounced around my head and the hallways. There was no sound in the hallways except for that and my breathing which come out in rasps as I tried to push my legs faster, to propel me down hallways like a runaway train. I had no idea what was waiting for me with the other group. It might be Samson himself, or it might be no one. The rest of the group might have already retreated, or maybe, they had already been slaughtered. I forced the second thought from my mind. I couldn't afford to think that way, not as I was charging into battle.

I looked over my shoulder only once to make sure that Cal was behind me, and sure enough, he was. I could see the limp he was trying to hide, and trying to suppress as he tried to keep up with me. He waved me forward, shouting at me to not look back. I couldn't promise that though, especially as we rounded the corner and entered in to the middle of a massive fight between the Lakelander soldiers and the few New Bloods that had remained behind to fight. It was chaos on all sides. People screaming and fighting, Silver soldiers shouting orders to everyone around them. It was a symphony of noise over top of the clash of steel on steel and the cries of the injured and the dying.

To my right a group of Silvers had cornered a young New Blood, who sneered at them and then slowly tried to bend the shadows behind her into a cloak to hide herself behind them. _An illusionist,_ I realized, instantly recognizing Chelsea's gift. I launched myself at those Silvers, letting out a furious cry to draw their attention away from her. They all turned, their faces hidden behind metal masks that only had eye holes. I sent a bolt of lightning in their direction. One of them, a Captain by the looks of his uniform shouted orders to corral me backward and deeper into the thick of battle. I hissed and set my feet to face them, but before I could prepare my depleting reserves, a shadow flashed behind them, and one of the soldiers cried out in pain before collapsing, a knife jutting out of his neck. A spurt of silver blood exploded out and the soldier next to him tried to alert the others, but I sent a bolt at him. His metal armor acted as the perfect conduit to my electricity and he collapsed, paralyzed.

The others in the group began to disband then, trying to escape the two front attack we had initiated. Their Captain tried to order them to remain in place to fight, but the girl came up from behind him and wrapping her knife around his neck, she sliced it like a piece of fruit. He collapsed then, his mouth parted in a final order to his men, who cracked immediately upon seeing their Captain on the ground. They backed away from us, and she and I picked the last of them off as they tried to run from us.

She came up to me then, her lips pulling into a smile as she put her back to mine so that we were covering each other's backs. Heaving for breath she said, "Impressive Little Lightning Girl."

I nodded, keeping my eyes on the new group that had arrived, before saying, "You're more of a Shadow than an Illusionist."

She let out a breathless laugh as she created an imaginary fissure in the floor, that made the Silver soldiers cry out in surprise and try to back up, only to run into the line of New Bloods that finished them of quickly.

"I learned most of what I can do from a Red sympathizer when I was young. She had been kicked out of the Royal Court for disobeying an order. She found me hiding on the street and took me in."

"Sympathizer?" I asked incredulously, my eyes narrowing as I picked off a Silver that was trying to get around the line and make his way into the tunnels. She nudged my back, and I turned to allow her access to the side I had been working on. I grabbed the hem of her jacket and dragged her down into a crouch as a Shiver threw a blast of ice shards at us though. She hissed as a few pieces cut at our cheeks and broke the skin. I sneered at the Shiver that had initiated the attack, and then threw a blast of lightning in his direction. He hollered in agony and I smirked as he tried to throw himself into the fray again to avoid more of my advances.

"Yes, sympathizers, like that easy on the eyes prince that you seem to have attracted to your hip." She said with a laugh as she made two Silvers turn on each other, each thinking the other was the enemy. As I watched them fight on another, I felt a shiver of worry run down my spine. I stiffened as the girl's description of Cal ran through my mind again, and then looking around wildly, I choked, "Cal."

I couldn't see him in the fray, and my heart pounded as I began to wonder if perhaps one of the New Bloods that didn't recognize him, mistook him for a Lakelander soldier. Before I could break away from the girl, I spotted a blast of flame, and following that, I found him. He fought back to back with a New Blood, the two of them fighting with fire and ice. Where his flame fell, shards of ice exploded out to slice at whatever Silvers were still standing.

His eyes seemed to find me across the space, and he nodded before returning to his battle, forcing Silver's back to make room for New Bloods to drag their injured partners into the tunnels to make their way to the hangar. We were starting to retreat; I could see it. We were starting to let them back us into the tunnels. I wondered if that was because we were losing, or if we were running because it was just time we turned our backs and cut our losses to protect the hangar more.

In my distraction, I felt a knife cut my arm. I hissed in pain, and then reached up to touch the wound. Flipping around I desperately I tried to find the thrower. I could only pray it was a random Lakelander soldier, and not who I thought it was. If Ptolemus Samos was close enough to throw a knife, then he was close enough to kill, and he was just trying to get my attention. Like a cat, he liked to trap his prey before killing it. I looked around wildly though the crowd, looking for the familiar armor, or maybe even a flash of platinum blond hair. There was no sign of him though, and I panicked as I looked for Cal then.

I found him throwing a Silver to the ground, and finishing the job with a knife from his own belt. He knelt over the soldier, panting and heaving for breath. His New Blood partner had already moved on apparently. Behind him, I saw the flash of dark, obsidian metal moving through the shadows thogh. My heart leaped into overdrive and everything dimmed until I could only see that sword flashing in the light of the dimming blubs. I had seen it flash once before in dim lighting. It had been used then to behead a king, and now, it would be used to kill the son.

I dashed toward Cal then, shouting his name. He looked up at me in confusion, his chest rising and falling heavily. He looked to his right and left as I shouted at him, screamed at him. He finally looked forward again, and when he saw where my eyes were looking, he flipped around in surprise. Ptolemus' sword barely cut across Cal's cheek as he threw himself out of the way. Gathering a bolt of electricity, I threw it at the magnetron. He caught it on his sword though. With a swing he dispelled it and smirked at me, his dark eyes like chips of onyx. I froze in my track, shock radiating off of me. I should have known that by now, Ptolemus was a lot smarter. He would not simply let me throw him back with bolt after bolt of electricity like before.

Cal swung his leg and took Ptolemus' knees out from behind, making him scream in agony and swing the sword. It cut through Cal's thigh, and he cried out in pain, as he rolled away, leaving a trail of silver blood. I screamed in fury then, and launched myself at Ptolemus, a spitting ball of energy and hissing anger, ready to remove him from the equation all together.

He swung the sword again, and I jumped out of the way to avoid it. He sneered at me then, as he spat, "Here to defend your prince, little lightning girl?"

"He doesn't need me to defend him." I hissed as I let my lightning fill my right hand. He brought the sword tight into his body at that and then growled as he demanded, "Where is my little sister, so I can finally cut her from my family before she can soil our name more with that _thing_ inside of her."

I squeezed my hand into a fist and replied with a smirk, "She's safe, and so is her baby. You're not going to be able to touch her."

He hissed at me, and then circled me slowly. Looking me up and down, he searched for a break in my resolve, I could only hope that he didn't see on. But I had been revived with fresh anger and the necessary adrenaline to take him on. I had sent him running before, and I could do it again. I brought my fists up to fight him then, lighting dancing off of my right first as I prepared to throw another blast. He eyed that fist closest, watching as my fingers curled and uncurled, and my sparks danced in the space between. I smirked again at that, felt my body twitching to fight, the burning in my lungs coming from the buildup of electricity and not the need for air.

With blinding speed, he swung the sword at the middle of my chest and I had no choice but to tuck and roll to avoid the silver blade. I came up in a low crouch. I spotted Cal's knife still embedded in the soldier's body, and I grabbed it quickly. I pulled it out of the soldier, and it made a sickening sound as it left his body, and then brought it up to defend myself as Ptolemus brought his sword down. I caught it on the blade of the knife, and choked as he leaned all his weight into the blow, making the blade of my knife slide along the sword's. The grinding of steel on steel made my ears ache and I was forced to put my hand down behind me to support myself. I grunted with the effort of holding him off, and then hissed as he started to push my arm down so that the blade of his sword came closer to my cheek. I could almost see the edge out of the corner of my eye, and I looked up into his furious eye as he grinned wickedly and then sneered, "Looks like you're out of options."

My eyes widened and I looked down at his stance, seeing his legs planted and wide. I squirmed until one of my legs was more free, and hissed as I had to take more of his weight on my arms to prevent that stupid sword from coming any closer to me. I hooked my foot around his knee and then yanked forward, spinning out of the way as he hollered in surprise and fell forward with his moment. I panted, shocked that that worked and then gripping my knife, I drove it down into the spot right behind his shoulder blade. He screamed in pain, and I backed away before looking for Cal. A New Blood had pulled him over to the side and was trying to tie a handkerchief around the wound. I stumbled my way to them and then crouching down I bent over the wound to assess the damage.

"It's not that bad," Cal grunted through his clenched jaw. I looked up at him and then back down at the gash though. The handkerchief was already staining silver, and against the red fabric, it looked strange. Setting my hand on either side of his thigh, I tried to squeeze the wound together to see how deep and wide it was. He hissed in pain and tried to squirm away from me. Shaking my head, I let go of his leg and said, "There's no way you'll be able to run like this…"

"Then we better get a move on to the hangar if we're going to be walking." He snipped, as he grabbed the wall behind him and heaved himself to his feet. The New Blood stands up in surprise at the power behind his movement, and I leap up as well. Cal leaned onto the leg and then cried out as it almost collapsed out from under him. I caught him and then grabbed his arm and wrapped it around my shoulders. He gripped my shoulder tightly, and gingerly tried to put weight on his leg. "We'll take it slow," I began but he squeezed my shoulder even tighter and said, "No, take it at a slow jog."

"Cal you can hardly stand." I bit out, trying not to sound like I was worrying too much. I knew how strong he was, how far he could push himself, but this wound was not something he could simply shake off and pretend didn't exist.

"Either you start moving, or I will drag myself to the hangar." He ordered as he took a staggering step and began to make his way toward the tunnels. I tried to support him as best I could, but he was so much damn taller than me. I shifted him as we made our way into the tunnel, leaving the majority of the battle behind. A few New Bloods followed us, and behind them more came, leading more injured people behind us. I could taste the iron from the blood in the air, and as I looked down at Cal's leg, I grimaced as I took in the dark stain on his pants from his own blood. It just kept coming and wouldn't stop. It pumped out of him like it was water, and it didn't look like it was clotting or stopping any time soon. He was getting paler too, which meant he was losing more blood than he was letting on. I set my hand on his chest and whispered, "If we need to stop we can."

"We're almost there, I'm fine." He wheezed, as we rounded the corner. There was another set of stairs that people were rushing down, shouting at each other. I pulled Cal off to the side and then breathed, "We'll wait for an opening so you can get down these stairs a little slower."

"We don't have time for me to be comfortable, Mare." He growled as he pulled away and grabbed the railing and began to make his way down. I hissed in annoyance and then took off after him, dropping my head under his arm to support him again. He almost slipped on the last two steps, but I managed to catch us on the other railing before pushing him upright again so that we could start at a slow jog. The rest of the soldiers followed behind them, I saw one or two teleporters bringing the rest of the injured down behind us, but they were getting tired, and I noticed that they were taking longer and longer to bring people down.

Forcing my attention forward, I hurried Cal into the hangar, feeling him sag a little in relief when we saw our group waiting by one of the transports. Sara stood up immediately as we arrived and I slowly helped Cal sink down so he was leaning against the massive wheel of the truck. Sara sank down next to him and looked over his leg as she whispered, "You've lost a lot of blood, you're lucky they missed the major artery though, you would have been dead before you could have taken a step."

"Good to hear," Cal hissed in pain as Sara began to stitch up the wound, forcing new flesh to form over the torn muscle until she could work at that. Julian appeared though and said quickly, "No time for that right now, Sara love, we'll have to do it in the truck. We have to go."

I looked up and over his shoulder, searching for the rest of our party. I hadn't really seen Maggie, or Shade, or Evangeline. As I searched, I caught sight of my brother, standing behind the truck. He was looking around wildly, his eyes searching everywhere. I stood up then and grabbing his arm I hissed, "Where's Evangeline?"

I hadn't seen her when we had arrived, but I'd assumed she was in the truck, along with Maggie. Shade wouldn't look this worried if she was with him though.

He turned panicked eyes on me and whispered, "She went back for something, she said she forgot something, and she couldn't leave without it."

"She _what_?" I shrieked, and our entire group turned to look at me. I looked around wildly for her, remembering Ptolemus's demand and his threat. He hadn't found her before he had fought me, but that didn't mean someone else hadn't. And that baby, I could only think about the image Shade had shown us of his child, floating in a sea of black, safe from the outside world. I could only see those tiny fingers curled into a fist, and a sword piercing that little cocoon of safety.

Glaring at Shade, I hissed, "Stay here." Before the words had even left my mouth I had started a sprint toward the doors that I had just passed through dragging Cal behind me. He choked and shouted after me, forcing me to dig my heels in and stop, "Where are you going?"

"Ptolemus is here, and Samson! I'm going to find her. If I'm not back in ten minutes, leave without me!" I shouted at him as I turned to back pedal. He took a step toward me, but I waved him off and then took off toward the doors. I pushed my way through the throngs of people coming through, who all shouted at me that I was going the wrong way, but I couldn't stop. If Samson got ahold of Evangeline, he would turn that baby into a monster the same way Elara had done to Maven. I couldn't bear for that to happen to that baby, to my brother's baby. It deserved the chance to make its own life. That was why I was fighting this war in the first place, to get rid of the monsters like Samson, so that the children of tomorrow would stop asking their parents to check under the bed and in the closet at night.

I sprinted up the stairs, my lungs and legs burning for air as I took off down the hallway. Had she gone back to the rooms? Maybe, but wouldn't we would have seen her, when we were making our way to the hangar? Had she gone to the medical center? I paused for a moment standing in the crossroads between the two locations. I closed my eyes for five seconds, and then whispered, "Come on Evangeline, where did you go?"  
I set my hand on the wall, and reached through the rock, searching for an energy signature that shouldn't be there, maybe a light on where it should have been off. Sure enough I felt it. Medical center, she was there.

I took off down the hallway, sprinting around dead Silver soldiers and New Bloods. My heart hammed in my ears, and I skidded across a hallway before taking one of the branches and sprinting down that hallway. The lights were dimmed, and as I sprinted down, the earth shook around me from another bomb. I cried out as I slammed into the ground. I tasted blood, and shook my head out when I saw stars.

Another bomb overhead rained dirt down on me, and I scrambled to my feet, feeling my lip ache from my teeth biting it. I wiped my jacket sleeve along it, and when I pulled my arm away, I saw the smear of blood on the grey fabric. I grimaced at that and then continued down the hallway.

The medical center was at the very end, and I could see the lights on inside. Another bomb went off though and I stumbled into the wall this time to catch myself as the ground beneath my feet trembled. I looked up and watched as the lights started to flicker in that room. I hissed at the ache in my head that the shaking continued to perpetuate, and then made my way to the doorway. I caught myself on it as another bomb went off. They must be trying to smoke us out, I thought as I looked around inside the room, desperate to find Evangeline. I couldn't see her anywhere, but it looked like the place had been overturned by an earlier search. My heart hammered in my ears that the thought, had they found her before me? What if they were using her as bait, to lure me or Shade in? That was a very high possibility, but at the moment, I was willing to risk it, even though my lighting was almost a dull murmur in my blood. It didn't even carry half the power it had when I woke up.

The lights flickered overhead and I could feel the power starting to fail in this side of the compound. The Colonel must have been shutting everything unnecessary down, which meant all power was being transferred to open the hangar doors, and I was running out of time. My stomach dropped to the floor as I rushed into the room and screamed, "Evangeline!"

I heard the whimpering from a corner, after I screamed for the second time, and I stumbled toward it and pulled away a shelf that had been fallen in front of the small space between two counters. She must have pushed it in front of the opening to hide herself. I grunted as I dug my feet in and strained to push it away. It groaned and then gave, sliding to reveal the little space Evangeline had hidden herself in.

She was sitting with her knees tucked into her chest, and her hands on her stomach. I almost cried in relief as I bent down and choked, "We have to go, the others, they're waiting for us."

She shook her head and then hissed, "I cant…I can't."

"Why?" I demanded as I looked over my shoulder for soldiers, worried someone had heard my screaming. I looked back at her, making sure to put the power of the Silver that had been foraged in me in the Burner Court behind my words as I spat, "We have to leave! They will not wait for us."

"Barrow, I can't," She shook her head, and that was when I saw the sweat on her brow and the tears in her eyes, "The baby, I think the baby's coming. I felt contractions."

"That's not possible!" I cried, as I felt to my knees, and reached out to set my hand on her stomach. My mother had taught me years ago how to feel for contractions. I didn't feel anything, but I doubted Evangeline would lie about that. If she thought she was in labor, then she probably was."

"You can't move?" I asked quickly as I looked over my shoulder again. She nodded, and then looked over my other shoulder to check for anyone else hiding in the room. I sighed and hung my head. I had told Shade to leave, to make everyone leave if we weren't back in ten minutes. I wondered if he would listen, or it he would ignore me. I looked at Evangeline and then whispered, "Alright, I'm going to get in there with you, and we're going to wait this out. You'll pull the shelf-"

I paused as I heard it, a soft clicking noise. I shook my head and then tried to continue, "You'll pull the shelf over the opening behind me…"

The clicking returned, but this time, it was almost like it was at the base of my skull. It was getting louder too, like a bee buzzing near my ear. I shook my head again, but the sound didn't leave.

"Mare," Evangeline asked, her voice rising with panic as she grabbed my arm. I pulled away, and then cried out as I covered my ears. That sound, it was getting louder. My eyes watered at the sound, and I looked around wildly trying to determine where it was coming from. There was no sign of anyone though, and that sound, it was only getting worse.

I cried out in agony again, as I fell back to my knees, trying to cover my ears even more to stop the sound. It wouldn't though. I opened my eyes in panic as I realized that it wasn't coming from around me, but inside me. Evangeline has crawled out of her opening to grab my arm and pull me into the hovel. "What's wrong?" She kept shouting, but it just made it worse.

 _Clickclickclickclick_

It wouldn't stop. It was getting worse, and the clicking, it was getting closer together. I looked up at Evangeline but her eyes widened and she pulled her hands away from me. I could see the flash of my lightning on the edge of my eye sight, and I cried out as I felt the burn of my lightning for the first time. I flung myself away from Evangeline, terrified of hurting her and her baby. She tucked herself back into her corner, and I looked at her in panic and pain as I felt my lightning arching along my arms and back. I strained against it, and tried to bury it, but it wouldn't listen to me. It continued to arch and explode out of me.

I screamed in agony as the clicking became incessant, and seemed to occupy every corner of my mind. I looked up through tear filled eyes then and saw a shadow slowly passing by me. Evangeline screamed on the edge of my senses, but her scream was cut to silence suddenly. I looked in her direction and saw her lying against the wall, slumped, like a puppet with its strings cut.

My breath came in and out in ragged gasps as I looked over my shoulder. Around the arcs of my lightning I could see the dark pants and polished boots that passed by me again. They stepped around me, and then slowly crouched down in front of me, and my stomach rebelled as I almost lost everything in it.

Samson smirked at me, a cat gleeful at finding a fat mouse for dinner, as he said, "Hello Miss Barrow, it's been a while."

I gathered up the saliva in my mouth to spit it at him, but he held his hand up and slowly pushed a button on the device in his hand. The clicking increased in volume, and I screamed as my back arched. My lightning's energy grew stronger and I tried to force it down again, but it was as if I had no control over my own ability, no control over my own senses.

He looked at the device in his hand and then back at me, as he said softly, "Do you like this new little toy of mine? We developed it with you in mind, and you specifically."

I sneered at him, and then barely managed to grasp some of my lightning. Feeling it's power thrum through me instead of around me, I tried to lash out at him with it. Instead of seeing that bolt hit him between the eyes, it lashed back at me, and I screamed as I felt every volt rush down my spine. He laughed at me as he rose and stood over me.

"It's a nifty little thing. I wanted to test it to see if it would work. Apparently it does, and better than I expected." Samson laughed as he reached through my lighting to cup my chin. The hair on his arm rose as he did so, but he held tight to me and leaned close to whisper, "It works like the scramblers we have on our boats to fight the Lakelander vessels. I figured, why not develop it to stop you from working? I had no idea it would let me turn you against yourself though, and this is impressive to see."

His lips curled up in a wicked grin as tears fell in rivers down my face. My vision was starting to spot from the pain, and I could barely make him out as he dropped my face. He turned the device over in his hand and then said, "I wonder how much more do think you can take?"

He pressed the button again, and I let loose a blood curdling scream as I felt my lightning arch across my skin. Was this what every soldier I had ever killed felt like? They only screamed for a second before they died though. This was taking eternity to kill me. Maybe I was immune to it enough that it couldn't kill me? I couldn't tell. I just wanted it to end. Either he turned off the device, or it killed me. Either way, I was beginning to pray for it to just end.

Samson pressed the button again though, and I opened my mouth in what should have been a scream but it only came out a wheeze as I struggled to get enough air in to my lungs to scream. I was going to die, I realized then. I was going to die, and then he would kill Evangeline. Samson would string me up in Archeon, or maybe he would leave my body on the steps somewhere, for someone to find and for them to choke over seeing me. Would he use me to draw Cal out? To bring him out of the shadows so he could kill him too? I felt burning tears run down my cheeks at the thought. The last thing I had said to him… forgotten gods what was the last thing I'd said to him? It was probably inconsequential now. Had I told him I loved him today? Last night? Yes, I thought with a blinding wave of relief, I'd told him before falling asleep. Had been asleep then? Had he heard? I had no idea, and for once, I wished that I was a whisperer that could send the thought to him, to tell him a hundred times before I died. I would be no more than a charred husk of a human when Samson was done. I was certain of it, and if I was unrecognizable, I wanted Cal and the others to remember me as I was. I didn't need them to mourn ashes, there was no point to that.

My vision started to spot again, but this time, it got dimmer on the edges and continued to creep to the center. I watched Samson as he grinned wickedly and pushed the button one more time. The last thing I saw was his face as he leaned toward me and whispered, "It's been fun playing this game with you, but I'm afraid it's not over yet."

My vision went dark, and I went under so quickly, that I never felt my body hit the ground.

(/)

"I can't… I can't do anything about those."

"What the hell could have done something like that?"

"Samson, he was there, he did this to her."

"Everybody stop yelling, she's waking up!"

I groaned in agony. It felt like someone had smashed a sledge hammer into the side of my head and then drugged me. I opened my eyes, seeing Sara's face first, and then Maggie's above mine. I tried to look to my right, but my vision swam and I cried out in pain as I reached up to touch my forehead. My skin pulled painfully in my shoulders and I was forced to stop. I looked up at Sara then, who had reached out to keep my arm at my side. She hushed me and then disappeared for a second before returning with a cup for water. She lifted my head a bit, and I felt the skin there pull painfully as well. I opened my mouth and accepted the water though, trying to empty the cup as she tipped it back. She didn't let me though.

Setting it back down she whispered, "Do you remember anything?"

I squinted up at the lights and then croaked, "Where are we?"

"On an airship," Magge replied in awe, "it's huge Mare, bigger than anything we ever had!" She looked around, and I shook my head to try and dispel the foggy feeling there before looking at Sara and whispering, "Cal?

"I'm right here." I heard his voice from near my head and looked up to see him sitting against the side of a crate. His legs were stretched out in front of him, and it was then that I realized he was softly running his fingers through my hair. I tried to reach up and grab his hand, but the skin in my shoulders protested again. I cried out in pain and let my arm fall back to the blankets I was resting on. He grimaced at my pain and then whispered, "You'll have to not do that for a little while. Whatever Samson did to you, it… it left scars."

"Scars?" I croaked and I saw the soft look he gave me before he reached underneath my head and softly traced the skin on my neck. I felt it then, the soft raised edges that he traced over.

"It looks like lightning on your back." Maggie whispered, her eyes wide in sadness. I looked down at her and then back up at Cal, tears welling up in my eyes. He bent down, and Sara made what sounded like cry for him not to do so. He still did it anyway though, the stubborn ass, and pressed a soft kiss on my forehead before whispering against my skin, "It's going to be alright, I don't mind them."

My chest hitched and he smiled down at me before whispering again, "We're heading to Montfort now."

"Samson… he was there, in the compound," I said loud enough for everyone to hear, but my voice still sounded weak, "he had this thing. My lightning, it was like it wasn't mine."

"That explains the scars," Sara murmured, before looking at Julian. She shook her head and I looked around for a moment, before almost sitting up. I cried out at the feeling of my skin pinching all along my back, and was forced to freeze. It felt like I would tear everything if I moved any farther. Cal forced me back down so that my head was resting on his thigh as he asked, "What? What's wrong?"

"Evangeline! She, she was in labor." I looked around wildly as I tried to find her, but I couldn't see her anywhere in the area we were all congregated in. I did see a large number of people though, most of them huddled together and trying to mind their own business. Almost all of them were succeeding, except for the few that had turned to look at us when I had cried out in pain.

Sara set her hand on my arm before I could ask another question, and whispered, "She wasn't in labor. It was Samson. He made her believe she was. He was waiting for you to come. It was a ruse."

I grimaced as Cal continued to softly stroke my hair softly to calm me down. "Should have known that," I grumbled, as I closed my eyes and tried not to move again. Cal sighed, and I felt him shift slightly underneath me before whispering, "He was waiting down the hall for you to show up. Shade was the one that found you and knocked him out. He didn't have time to do much more because he thought you were dying."

"It was that bad?" I asked softly, before craning my neck to look up at him. His expression was pensive, but I could see how the past few hours, or however long it had been since he had last seen me, weighed on him. Nodding slowly, he whispered, "When he brought you back to the transports, you were barely breathing, and those scars, they were getting longer and more prominent. We weren't sure if you were going to wake up."

I could hear and see the words that he struggled to get out. It had looked as if he were choking on them, and I sighed as I whispered, "You all should really stop underestimating me. I kicked death to the curb once before, what makes you think I can't do it again?"

He laughed softly at that, but then fell to silence as the ship bucked slightly underneath us. Sara looked up from the bag she is digging through, her eyes slightly wide as she glanced around us. For a moment, it seemed as if she was trying to see through the metal of the airship to what was around us. Julian looked up as well, before edging to one of the small windows in the side. He stared out of it for a moment and then mouthed something softly.

"What is it?" Cal asked, his hand stilling in my hair. Julian turned to us slowly, his expression filled with both awe and nerves. He looked back out the window for a moment before saying, "We're here."

"Montfort," I whispered softly, the word strange on my tongue as I look up at Cal. His face drained of color, and he looked down at me as well before whispering, "Hopefully our allies here are more willing to listen to us."

I could only hope he was right, and that whatever waited for us here, was far better than what we had left behind. Something told me that what we would face in those walls, would be a new kind of war though. Montfort had managed to remain free from all the courts and the other countries, even though it was a massive sprawling territory according to Julian. I wonder if they had done that through sheer will alone, or if they had a way of remaining hidden that even we had not thought of. It was Westin's home, that much I knew. I doubted she was the only mysterious snake in the grass there. Had we exchanged one court of snakes and shadows for another?

I searched for Cal's hand and found his fingers. He gripped my hand tightly and I relished in his warmth, wondering if this would be the final stand that we made together.

 ** _A/N_**

 ** _AAAAAAHHHHH WAR STORM IS OUT AND I'VE READ THE FIRST FOUR CHAPTERS? I'm not gonna say anything other than I cannot wait for my book to officially arrive so I can absolutely demolish it in a day XDDDDD. As for this, here we are, pumping out chapters. I want to get the next one out before the end of the week. We'll see how it goes. ((((: Also, the Sounder is back for a revenge in this story since it literally got used once and then never again? Maybe Victoria brings it back in War Storm? I don't know, but hey, it's back here and it's gonna be a huge thing. Also the scars, I can't deny that Mare having those scars is kind of badass, and they may be a super ya know… thing in a later chapter with Mare and Cal.*insert Rihanna winky face gif here*_**

 ** _Question Time!_**

 ** _What do you guys think awaits the group in Montfort? It's definitely not the Montfort we know in the books, so get ready. (((:_**


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